


Sugar Sugar and Spice

by aj_hofacre, lydiamartin (dwinchester)



Series: Sugar Sugar and Cyanide [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Dubious Consent, F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-09-27 12:35:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10021019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj_hofacre/pseuds/aj_hofacre, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwinchester/pseuds/lydiamartin
Summary: The Washington, D.C. members of the McCall pack.





	1. Chapter 1

Stiles tapped his fingers against his thigh as he stared at the LED panel on the elevator. The building was ten stories and full of college students of varying majors. Stiles’ room was on the seventh floor, but the elevator was old and slow. The mixer had gone well, and he had been one of the first people there like he had planned. He hadn’t felt like going home to the quiet room, so he stayed for the entire four hours. He was pretty sure he had met at least half of the people living in the building. He glanced down at his phone, smiling to himself as the elevator doors clanked open on the fifth floor. “I’m going up.” He remarked, not looking up from his phone. “Seriously, this elevator sucks, but I’m not giving up on tonight. I’m going to have to start taking the stairs.” He sighed in relief when he got to keep the elevator to himself for two more floors. When he had first started using a cell phone, he only had his dad and Scott programmed in. Over the years, he had added people as they came into his life, but he still had a contact list of maybe twenty people. Tonight alone, that contact list had more than tripled. He wondered if this was how Lydia felt during high school, then snorted to himself as he decided it must have been, since she was going back as a Riverdale student. He wandered down the hall on the seventh floor, unlocking his door and stopping in the doorway as he saw Theo. “What - okay. There are so many questions. How did you get in here? Why are you here? When did you get here? Why are you here? Yes, I know that I just asked you the same question twice. I don’t care. Answer it.” He pushed his door shut and leaned back against it, his arms folded across his chest. 

Theo grinned. “Good to see you again, too, Stilinski. For the how, simple. All that time I spent with the Doctors taught me some tricks. I traveled the ley lines. There's one that runs directly under your building. It was easy to find you. I got here about half an hour ago. And as for the why, I could give you a reason for each time you asked, if you want, but it's really just the one answer.” He stood up and approached Stiles slowly, his lips twitching and eyes glinting. “I'm here because I want you. Easy as that.”

“Want me for what?” Stiles asked warily. “I’m not even anywhere near Scott. There’s nothing you need me for.” 

Theo faltered, blinking at Stiles and looking thrown off his game. “Uh - no, I mean… I want you…? Like…” He gestured uncertainly with his hands, motioning between them. “As in, I like you?”

“You like me?” Stiles repeated. “So you came across the country to see me?” 

Theo held his hands up, looking confused. “... Yes? And - uh, I'm enrolling here. Once I can hack into the system to list myself as a student.” He fidgeted. “But - mostly for you, yeah.”

Stiles smiled slowly. “You want to be a cop?” He asked. “Even though you’re kind of against everything they stand for?” 

Theo lifted his chin, staring back at Stiles and looking defensive. “Well - why not? I could do this shit blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back.”

“Oh, okay!” Stiles laughed. He crossed the room and sat down on the couch, looking up at Theo. “Maybe we should start over?” He suggested. “I’m kind of having a hard time processing all of this.” 

Theo nodded slowly, and then carefully took a seat, staring intently at Stiles. “Okay… Well, where do you want me to start?”

Stiles glanced down at his hands, then looked back up at Theo. “Why are you here?” He repeated. 

Theo exhaled slowly. “Because… I like you. Because the minute you were out of Beacon Hills, I knew it. I felt it. And I fucking hated it. I've liked you forever, Stiles.” He fidgeted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I… realize I have been absolutely shit at showing you that in the past.”

“So you’re here to fix it?” Stiles asked carefully, watching Theo. “You’re here for me, and to do this, and those things are separate, right?” 

Theo stared back at Stiles steadily. “I want you. And I want this. And I get what I want, Stiles.” He hesitated, making a face. “Except… for the last time I tried to get what I wanted. Whatever.”

“I think you should get used to the idea of having to work for it.” Stiles remarked. “For me, and for this. But I’ll help you get enrolled.” 

Theo was silent for a moment, but then nodded. “Okay. Okay, cool.”

Stiles smirked. “Tomorrow, we’ll do that. I’m tired, but not that tired. I just spent four hours trying to befriend a bunch of strangers. I’m actually kind of relieved to see someone familiar.” 

Brightening, Theo gave Stiles a broad grin. “Good thing I made my way out here then, isn't it?”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded. “Now come sit down and watch tv with me.” 

Theo grinned and hauled himself up next to Stiles, leaning back and focusing on the tv.

Stiles glanced over at Theo, then moved closer to him as he turned the tv on, kissing the corner of his mouth. “Thank you for coming all the way out here.” He said quietly. 

Theo glanced back at Stiles, and then turned fully toward him, studying the other man. “I know you were supposed to come out this way with Lydia. You weren't supposed to be alone, not on the other side of the country. And I wanted to be with you, Stiles. This isn't a hardship for me.” He said softly, hesitantly reaching out to place his hand over Stiles’.

Stiles turned his hand over to lace their fingers together. “I know you’ve been different since before I even got back from where the Riders were keeping me. And Liam said you remembered me, even when nobody else did.” 

“I wasn't affected by what the Riders had done.” Theo confirmed, nodding. “Maybe because I wasn't in the right dimension when they tried to wipe you out of everyone’s memory.”

“Or maybe there’s another reason?” Stiles shrugged. “I’m not saying Lydia doesn’t love me, I’m just... saying that maybe your feelings for me are different than hers.” 

“Maybe.” Theo murmured, leaning against the couch and searching Stiles’ face.

“Do you just like me, or is it something more?” Stiles asked quietly. 

Theo tightened his hand gently around Stiles’. “If it's not ‘more’ at this point, it will be.” He murmured.

“Do you want to move back to Beacon Hills after all of this is over? What’s your plan?” Stiles glanced at the tv, but he looked back at Theo. 

Theo rubbed his chin. “I haven't decided yet. I think it depends on what happens to me here, and what opportunities I can get.”

Stiles laughed. “Okay, so you haven’t changed that much.” He remarked. “You’re still opportunistic.” 

Theo winked at him. “Slytherin is as Slytherin does.”

Stiles grinned. “I can’t argue with that.” He shook his head. “I got sorted into that House, too.” 

“Yeah?” Theo grinned. “Look at that. We've got stuff in common.”

“Don’t try too hard.” Stiles cautioned. “It’s weird that I know what that looks like from this side of things. Anyway.” He stared at Theo for a moment, then kissed him. 

Theo grinned against Stiles’ mouth and surged forward instantly, kissing him back.

Stiles put an arm around Theo. “If you had been asking me to go against anyone but Scott last year, I probably would have done it.” He blurted. “You weren’t around when I was telling Scott that we should kill Jackson or Derek.” 

“Nope.” Theo agreed. “I was underground. In a tunnel.”

“I thought you moved away?” Stiles looked confused. He rubbed Theo’s shoulders as he spoke, not just to comfort Theo, but to have something to do with his hands. “You were in the tunnels that whole time?” 

“Yeah.” Theo said quietly. “The moving away thing was a cover story. Just to have a legitimate explanation of why I wasn't around. Can't exactly tell anyone that you lived like a mole person with three ‘doctors’ who had managed to live an incredibly long, unnatural life.”

“Well, no more secrets, okay?” Stiles leaned in to kiss Theo again. “I kind of plan on keeping you around for at least the next few years. Don’t make me regret it.” 

“I'm gonna do everything in my power to keep you from regretting it.” Theo reassured him, kissing him back lightly. 

“I feel like it worked out pretty well.” Stiles remarked. “I had this two-bedroom apartment to myself and now I have a roommate that I know won’t do really weird shit, like jerk off in the living room or clip their toenails at the kitchen table. I, uh, read some stories about horrible roommates. Just to prepare myself.” 

Theo raised his eyebrows. “And what exactly is wrong with jerking off in the living room, hmm?”

“Well, nothing, if you’re doing it.” Stiles snorted. “And I get to at least observe. But I’m talking about some kind of Star Trek fanboy that can’t get off unless he’s wearing the fake ears.” 

Theo snorted out a laugh. “Fair enough. Can we stop pretending we’re going to actually watch TV now?” He asked, tugging the other man close. 

“Maybe I wasn’t pretending.” Stiles’ lips twitched. “Maybe I want to watch whatever the hell this is.” 

Theo looked at him. “Name one thing on that tv right now that interests you more than me.”

Stiles paused, lifting his index finger as he tilted his head, pretending to think it over. “Nah, you’re right.” 

Theo snorted, reaching out to snag his fingers into the front of Stiles’ shirt before dragging him close and kissing him again.

Stiles fumbled with Theo’s shirt, pulling back to look at him. “I’ve never actually been with a guy.” He admitted. 

Theo blinked in surprise. “Really?” He smiled slowly at him. “So I get to be your first.”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded. “I’m guessing you’re into it instead of thinking I’m some kind of loser weirdo? Have you ever been with a guy?” 

Theo grinned. “Just a few times. And yeah, I’m definitely into it.” He leaned in, lightly pushing Stiles to his back and sliding one leg over the other man’s lap as he kissed him again.

Stiles put his arms around Theo’s waist as he looked up at him. “Who were you with? And when?” 

Theo rubbed his hand lightly over Stiles’ chest. “I was fourteen.” He admitted. “I snuck away from the doctors for a night. Went to the next town over and snuck into a bar.” He smiled faintly. “Wasn’t anything memorable. I don’t even remember the guy’s name. I was with a few girls after that, also in other towns, and then the next time I was with a guy was… just before I, uh. Surfaced again in Beacon Hills.”

“And who was that?” Stiles asked, trying not to get distracted by the way it felt for Theo to touch him. “I’m not actually trying to interrogate you, but I sort of am. It’s not like our county is crawling with a lot of guys who like guys, so odds are good that I know someone, or at least know someone who knows someone.” 

Theo shook his head. “It’s not important, really, but…” He cleared his throat. “It was one of the queens. At Jungle?” He smiled crookedly. “She treated me really well.”

Stiles smiled back. “Yeah, I like them. In a friendly way. My experience is limited to Malia and Lydia. For sex, at least. I made out with a couple of other girls. No guys, though.” 

Theo grinned. “That’s gonna change right now.” He murmured, bending over him and kissing him deeply.

Stiles ran his fingers through Theo’s hair. “I have a feeling we’re not going to do anything all that productive tomorrow. Outside of this room, anyway.” 

Theo huffed a laugh against Stiles’ skin. “Yeah, you’re not wrong.” He murmured.

“Out of curiosity.” Stiles began, wriggling underneath Theo to try to get his shirt off over his head. “What the hell about me made you look at me and think I’d had sex with anyone male?” 

“It wasn’t looking at you.” Theo murmured, ducking his head a little to nip at Stiles’ throat before yanking at his shirt and tugging it off. “It was watching other people look at you. You didn’t even notice, but other people, unimportant people that you wouldn’t even notice otherwise, would just stare at you as you walked by. Guys, especially.” His lips turned up crookedly. “Guys really like you, baby.”

Stiles blinked at the affectionate nickname, but didn’t comment on it. “And you didn’t want someone playing with what you already thought of as yours?” He guessed. 

“Mm, that too.” Theo nodded in agreement. “I mean… you’re not - you aren’t _mine_ , I don’t own you. Unless you wanna be mine.”

“I’ll get back to you on that.” Stiles said gently. “I’m still kind of stuck on the part where you decided you wanted me and came all the way here to tell me that. I should start calling you Felicity. But probably not.” 

“Yeah, please don’t.” Theo snorted. “Just think on it. But if you decide on no, then… it’s okay. I promise.”

“Can you just...” Stiles lifted his head to kiss Theo again. “Just talk to me and be real with things? I don’t care what you say, just be honest.” He reached down to unfasten his jeans. 

Theo hummed, kissing back slowly, tugging at Stiles’ pants and slipping them down his hips. “Honestly?” He asked quietly. “I’d probably lose it. I’d be upset. It wouldn’t be okay.” He cupped Stiles’ face. “But I’d deal. Even if this is all I get, I’ll deal with it.”

“That bad, huh?” Stiles murmured. “I’m not trying to bring her up every two seconds, but I know how I was with Lydia and that’s kind of my only basis for comparison in terms of this. I would’ve done anything to get her to notice me. I kind of forgot that she was a person with flaws, somewhere in all of that. I’m probably going to disappoint the hell out of you, no pun intended, at least a dozen times before I figure out what I’m doing.” 

“I’ll deal with it.” Theo repeated once more. “Christ, it’s not like I’m perfect, either.” He pointed out, running his hand over Stiles’ stomach. “I’m going to piss you off, and probably fuck up more than you could ever imagine.”

Stiles glanced up at Theo, a serious expression on his face. “You’re closer to perfect than you think you are. If it wasn’t for you being a conniving asshole, I would have probably said nine-point-five out of ten. But you being evil dropped you down to a four. Now, you’re back up to an eight.” 

Theo furrowed his brow. “Are you high?” He blurted. “This is an FBI school, isn’t it? Don’t they frown on this sorta thing? What in the hell makes you think I’m perfect, or close to it?”

“You’re hot. You’re athletic. You’re intelligent. You’re helpful, and not just when it suits your needs, anymore. Where are you seeing flaws in yourself?” Stiles countered. 

“Uh, I’m pretty sure I could be considered a sociopath.” Theo lifted an eyebrow. “I’m selfish. I hate people, except when it suits me. I don’t like any of your friends, I really honestly just put up with them.”

“Well, you know what they say about sociopaths.” Stiles remarked. “They’re all either cops or criminals. And I’ve done my fair share of manipulating situations to get what I wanted.” 

Theo laughed quietly. “So do I get to be the cop or the criminal? Or a weird combination of the two?”

“Maybe we should go get handcuffs and take turns with that.” Stiles smirked. “Tomorrow. We’re going to be too busy for the rest of the night.”


	2. Chapter 2

Stiles didn’t check his text messages until two o’clock the next day, since he and Theo were still preoccupied, but he called Scott instead of Lydia, since he had a feeling his best friend would need to talk about Allison’s resurrection more than Lydia would. “I just saw Lydia’s text.” He said in lieu of a greeting. “Are you okay?” 

Scott exhaled heavily. “Yeah. You got Lydia’s texts, I guess? I’m actually… I’m actually really okay.” He was silent for a long moment, and then murmured, “She’s alive, Stiles. She’s really alive, and I thought if it ever happened, it’d be the happiest moment of my life, but all I can think is that I’m happier that Lydia has her back.”

“Yeah, you sound frazzled.” Stiles remarked. “I just said I got her text and you asked if I got her text. How’s Allison doing? Is she freaked out?” 

Scott scrubbed a hand over his face, groaning. “Sorry. Yeah, I think she is.” He muttered. “I mean - she was just there. Just on Lydia’s porch. And she just looked freaking… terrified, man.” Sighing a little, he added, “I think she’s doing a little bit better now. I think I’m more fucked up right now than she is.”

“Why’s that?” Stiles sat down on the couch and looked around for Theo. “Just because I’m not there, that doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me, you know?” 

Scott nodded. “I know.” He said softly. “I don’t know why. I think - I just think I wasn’t expecting it, so I ended up… getting caught off guard. I think… I think I scared Lydia a little. Like I was gonna forget her.”

“Is she there with you? Allison, I mean. I feel weird about trying to comfort Lydia about you, right now. No offense.” Stiles got up, putting his phone on speaker as he wandered around the tiny kitchen, looking through the food he had grabbed from the convenience store, around two am. He eyed a bag of Combos, wondering whether or not he felt like eating them. 

“Don’t you dare.” Theo told him, appearing in the room and pointing a finger at the other man. “I got burgers and fries. You’re eating that shit.” He held the bag up pointedly, and then set it down on the counter.

Scott coughed. “I see Theo found you with no problem. Yeah, man, Allison’s here. You want me to put her on?”

“Yeah.” Stiles decided not to comment on Scott’s obvious discomfort about Theo being with him. He grabbed his phone and moved toward Theo, kissing him. “I didn’t want the Combos, anyway.” He protested. “They were a good idea when I thought I was going to die of hunger after like, four hours of sex.” 

Theo laughed, kissing him back and winding an arm around his waist. “Combos are never a good idea.” He told him, and then bit his neck. “Eat your damn burger, I gotta run to the bathroom. Yo, Scott!” He called, smirking faintly as he exited the room.

Scott was quiet for a moment, and then shook his head. “Is he making you smile at least?”

“Yeah.” Stiles admitted. “He’s actually been kind of sweet and not the posturing bag of dicks that he was last year.” 

“Hm.” Scott let out a quiet laugh. “Alright. At least there’s that. Alright, I won’t be judgy or bitchy about it, but I am going to hand the phone over to Allison now.” There was a pause. “I miss you, buddy.”

“I miss you too, bro.” Stiles unwrapped a burger and waited for Allison to say something. 

“Stiles?” Allison asked softly. “Hi.”

“Hey, Allison.” Stiles glanced at his phone, even though she couldn’t see him through it. “I know I'm on the other side of the country and I won’t be around until probably Thanksgiving or Christmas, but you can call me whenever. If I’m in class, I’ll just call you back afterward.” 

Allison smiled faintly. “Okay. Thank you.” She murmured. “Hey - uh, I don’t know if this makes a difference to you or not, but… the last time I saw, well, your face, you were... He was giving me a smirk while I died.” She paused. “It’s kind of hard to reassure someone that you don’t think it’s their fault when you’re bleeding out and coughing up blood, so… I’m telling you now. Um, I don’t… blame you or whatever, for what happened to me. And, hey, alive now, so… Guess it doesn’t matter.”

“I hadn’t even...” Stiles felt sick. He reached behind him for the chair, dropping into it. “I mean, at first I did blame myself. I blamed myself for all of it. And I remember it happening. But I learned... I learned to stop doing that.” He stared off into space, lost in thought. 

“Good.” Allison said softly. “Because it isn’t your fault. None of it was your fault.” She sighed. “And I’m kind of a dick for bringing all of this crap up, aren’t I?”

“No, because as far as you’re concerned, it just happened.” Stiles reasoned. “I don’t blame you for wanting to talk about it. I’d kind of like to talk about it with you, if you don’t mind wallowing in angst a little.” He smiled ruefully. “But as far as being upset that I had anything to do with your death, I guess I can get over that now, with you being alive and everything. Do you have plans for what you’re doing now?” 

Allison huffed a laugh. “Not the slightest clue.” She admitted, sighing. “Lydia suggested getting my GED with Boyd, but… hell, I don’t know.” She was silent for a moment, and then murmured, “I don’t mind talking about it with you. I always could talk to you about pretty much anything.” She hesitated. “Well, you know, when I wasn’t going off the deep end, or avoiding you or Scott.”

“It’s not appealing, is it?” Stiles asked, feeling sympathetic. “Staying in Beacon Hills if you don’t have to. You could go anywhere now, right? I was freaked out about being away from Scott and everyone, losing those friendships. But then I spent three months isolated and when it was over, I realized it didn’t really matter, at all. I mean, they’ll still be around and we can still talk, which is more than I got during the time I couldn’t communicate with them. So... I mean, I’m not telling you what to do. But you’ve been in all sorts of different places around the world, you could go wherever you want to, now. Just pick a place and go, you know?” 

Allison cleared her throat softly. “That’s true.” She murmured. “And… I’ve always wanted to travel.” She sighed. “I just really… honestly, I just really wanted to see my dad at first. You know? But he’s doing his stupid ‘Don’t Trust Anyone’ thing and Lydia told me he might be dating Scott’s mom, and Melissa does not deserve that. I love my dad, but he held a gun on Scott, and Melissa _does not_ deserve that from someone she’s dating.” She exhaled slowly. “I don’t know, though, about… Beacon Hills is the first place that’s ever felt like home, but now…” She let out an awkward laugh. “I’m sorry. I probably sound annoying as hell now, rambling like this.”

“Well, thanks.” Stiles snorted. “I ramble all the time, now I see what you think of me. Where would you go, though?” 

“Please.” Allison scoffed. “Not France, obviously. Too much - too many, um, memories there, I think.” Her voice went soft. “I don’t know. Maybe, if I could, I’d go to Thailand? Brazil?” She paused. “Wait, unless Derek’s sister is still there. It’s a large country, but I’m still pretty sure she’d somehow find me and growl at me until I left.”

Stiles laughed. “Are Lydia and Scott good? I won’t ask either of them because it’s none of my business, and I know that. But I’m asking you, anyway.” 

“They’re sappy.” Allison murmured. “You thought Scott and I were sickening.” She teased. “You haven’t seen anything yet. They’re good, Stiles. I promise. And - hey, for the record, I don’t think I have ever, actually, actively thought that you were annoying.”

“Just passively, then?” Stiles teased. “I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t do well at all with asking other people out, they just kind of take control of that for me. And it works.” He picked up a fry and bit into it. “I don’t know what that says about me, though.” 

“Does it have to say anything about you? I think it’s just complacence at this point that women wait for men to ask them out. Most of them have gotten used to it, or they’ve never entertained the thought, and they think it’s unnatural or something, so they never will.” She shook her head. “What, if anything, does that say about _me_?”

“That you and I both need to learn to be more direct about what we want in relationships.” Stiles remarked. “But will we, though? That’s the real question.” 

Allison let out a low, humming laugh. “Eventually? Maybe? I guess we’ll see.”

“Why don’t you come out here for a few days?” Stiles suggested. “I’m not living in a dorm, exactly? It’s an apartment building that kinda functions as a dorm, but it’s not classified as one. So you can come stay and maybe being away from that freaking hellmouth of a town will give you more clarity?” 

Allison smiled softly. “You mean it?” She murmured. “Stiles, I’d love to come visit you. I think you're right. It might be just what I need.”

“Okay. I’ll go out to the store with Theo in a little while. We need to pick up some things, anyway. I can get some extra pillows and blankets for the other bedroom, since it seems like he and I are going to share my bed, anyway.” Stiles laughed a little. “I didn’t think I’d be this happy, but I am. I know it’s early, but when the hell has that ever made a difference to me, in terms of how I feel about someone? If I can hate someone on sight, I can... have other feelings for them, too.” 

Allison smiled. “Sounds legitimate to me.” She told him. “If you're happy, then nothing else really matters, does it?” 

“Yes?” Stiles ventured, then laughed again. “Let me know when your flight gets in, and I’ll try to meet you at the airport, if I can. I’m going to text you the address for the building, and my apartment number. Just in case.” 

Allison huffed out a small laugh, biting her lower lip a little before she nodded in agreement, despite the fact that they couldn't see each other. “It sounds like a plan.” She told him. “Thank you, Stiles. I appreciate this, really.”

“Well, maybe I’ll just ask you for a favor at some point.” Stiles snorted. “I’m hanging up and eating my lunch, then going shopping with my... uh, my boyfriend. I’m trying to get used to saying that now.” 

Allison giggled. “Just go to the mirror and repeat it to yourself a bunch of times. ‘I'm Stiles. I have a boyfriend.’”

Stiles laughed. “No. I’m hanging up, though. Do you have a color preference for anything I need to pick up?” 

“Um… I don't think I do.” Allison laughed. “Maybe use your best judgment?” She suggested. “Hang up now, Stiles. I'll see you when I see you.”

“Yeah, bye.” Stiles smiled as he hung up. He sent Allison a text with his address and apartment number, then wandered through the apartment, looking for Theo. 

Theo looked up as he sensed Stiles coming around the corner and tilted his head curiously. “What's going on?”

“Allison’s alive, and she’s coming out here. At least for a little while.” Stiles explained. “I told her she could crash in the other room, since you’re sharing my bed, anyway. So I want to go to the store and buy stuff she’s going to need, you know? Like a toothbrush and pillows. I can’t afford a whole lot, but I’m pretty sure I have more money right now than she does. I’m not even sure how she’s going to get a flight out here, but she said she could.” 

Theo looked impressed. “It's my understanding that hunters can pretty much own you for life if you owe them a favor. She’s probably got people she can call. Or she's going to break into her dad’s bank account.” He stood. “Alright, well, I'm ready to go when you are.”

Stiles put his arms around Theo and kissed him. “Okay, now I’m ready.” He smiled. “I kind of expected you to argue with me. I'm glad you’re not, though.” 

Theo looked amused, slipping an arm around Stiles’ waist. “Why should I argue?” He asked curiously. “This is your place. I crashed here out of nowhere without telling you I’d be coming. I don’t have any say in what you decide.”

“It’s our place, now. You’re officially enrolled in the same college as me.” Stiles protested. “The apartment is as much yours as it is mine.” 

“But it was yours first.” Theo laughed. “That’s my point. It might be ours now, but it wasn’t when I got here. As far as I’m concerned, this place was yours first, and you’ve got the first say in what happens here.”

Stiles smiled proudly and kissed Theo again, then stepped back to get a hoodie from the coat closet. “I’m glad I waited to get involved with a guy. You’re officially the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.” He grinned. 

Theo grinned crookedly. “Give it some time, I’m sure I’ll screw it up.” He paused. “But I won’t mean to, so just remember that.” He came up behind Stiles and kissed his neck lightly before grabbing his own hoodie and tugging it on. 

Stiles walked toward the elevator, eyeing it warily. “I don’t trust that thing.” He remarked. “So... stairs? I’m going to hate myself by the time we reach the lobby, though.” 

Theo nodded. “One of these days, I’m going to teach you how to travel ley lines, though. You won’t need the elevator or the stairs.” He headed for the stairwell. “I won’t show you until later, though. It takes time and concentration, and your concentration right now is on setting up the other room for Allison.”

“Can I even do that? I’m human.” Stiles pointed out. “I think you kind of need something extra in your DNA to handle something like that, don’t you?” 

Theo raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t see why you couldn’t. You’re surrounded by the supernatural all the time. Some of it must have rubbed off on you, right?”

“I don’t think it works like that.” Stiles shook his head. “And with the nogitsune, I wasn’t - I know you wanted me to become that again, but it wasn’t me, I was just a host. I’m not powerful, I’m not really anything. Just a human guy.” 

Theo shook his head. “The kind of… supernatural touch that the nogitsune left on you leaves an impression. A heavy one. You were just a normal human guy, and you still might be, but you’re a little more than that now, too.” He shook his head. “We’ll figure it out. Besides, even if it doesn’t work, I think I might still be able to take you with me.”

“So, not that I want to bring it up...” Stiles glanced at Theo as he stepped down onto the landing between staircases. “But you’re saying when I hit you, I actually knocked you down from strength, not surprise?” 

Theo smiled crookedly. “You think I wasn't goading you into hitting me for a reason? I wanted to see what you could do.”

“Do you think you could teach me?” Stiles cleared his throat, suddenly feeling nervous. “Not how to hurt people or kill them or anything, just to maybe do more than I’ve been able to?” 

Theo stopped walking, shifting a little in order to face Stiles before tugging him into a slow kiss. “I’ll teach you anything that you want to learn.” He murmured.

Stiles put his arms around Theo’s waist, wrinkling his nose and ducking his head in embarrassment as a few people passed by them on the stairs. “Okay.” He pulled away with a sigh, but reached for Theo’s hand as he moved down to the next stair. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can be home.” 

Theo grinned faintly, rubbing his hand over Stiles’ back. “Let’s get moving, then, hmm?”


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles ran his fingers through his hair and grimaced, a few hours later. He set the shopping bags down on the living room couch and started unloading them. It was a little cold outside, and overcast, which was why he had brought his hoodie along. But the trip up and down the stairs made him feel sweaty and gross, and he was pretty sure he was still wheezing slightly. 

Theo watched Stiles steadily, raising an eyebrow. “Alright. Go. Get in the shower. We’ll start training right after this.”

Stiles saluted, smiling crookedly as he went into the bathroom. He didn’t close the door all the way as he started getting undressed, calling out to Theo. “Just put the stuff for Allison in the other bedroom, and I’ll take care of it later, okay?” 

“I will.” Theo called back. “But I’m honestly a little tempted to follow you in there now that I’ve basically told you to get naked.”

“I’m not exactly stopping you.” Stiles stepped into the tub, pulling the curtain closed and turning the shower on. 

“That’s true.” Theo took his time, grinning faintly as he put everything they’d gotten for Allison into the other room, and then carefully divested himself of his clothing before making his way into the bathroom. “Scoot over.” He told Stiles, slipping into the shower behind him.

Stiles turned to face Theo as he moved to give him space. “I was thinking, while we were out there.” He tilted his head back to get his hair wet. “I kind of like the idea of having a lot of friends. As a theory. I’ve never really done it, in practice. Would that sort of thing bother you, though? Because you seem like you can adapt to anything. It kind of freaks me out, but I also guess... I envy you for that.” 

Theo thought about it for a moment, slipping his arms around Stiles’ waist. “I wouldn’t be participating, but I wouldn’t stop you, if that’s something you wanted. I don’t like people. I told you that. But I know you, and I know this is something that you probably _would_ like. So… yeah, I guess I’d be okay with it. Trust me, if it becomes an issue to me, I will be more than willing to let you know.”

Stiles nodded. “Okay.” He kissed Theo, then grabbed the bottle of shampoo and poured some into his hand, working it through his wet hair. “I think the first thing I'm going to do is start nagging the supervisor of the building to get that elevator fixed.” 

“It’s a good plan.” Theo murmured, moving his hands up into Stiles’ hair to help, smiling. “But one good threat does more than nagging on a daily basis. Let me see what I can do?”

“Don’t get us kicked out.” Stiles warned. “But okay, go for it.” He closed his eyes. “Oh my god, don’t stop doing that. Ever.” 

Theo snorted out a laugh. “I won’t stop. I mean, eventually I’ll have to, but I won’t stop for now.” He scratched gently at Stiles’ scalp, pressing close. 

Stiles groaned. “We missed out on months of this.” He remarked. “Oh well, I had Lydia around for that time, I shouldn’t bitch about it. She’s happy with Scott, I'm happy with you. Moving on.” 

Theo snickered quietly, moving his hands away from Stiles’ head and lightly scratching his fingers down the other man’s back.

“For awhile, I thought you were going to end up with Malia.” Stiles admitted, opening one eye to look at Theo. 

Theo blinked, looking surprised. “Why the hell would you think that?” He asked, confused.

“Because you flirted with her a lot and she thought you were hot.” Stiles explained. “And you have more in common with her than you do with me.” 

“Hmm.” Theo shook his head. “I flirted with her because I was trying to break you up, yeah. Not because I wanted her, though.”

“Oh.” Stiles squinted, mulling that over. “I’m not trying to sound needy when I say this, I just have a hard time, sometimes, with the idea of someone wanting me for more than making out to kill their boredom.” 

Theo gazed back at Stiles, and then lightly pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Trust me - the last thing I want is just to kiss you to alleviate my boredom. I refuse to get all sappy, but I fucking want you because you’re you.”

“One day, you’ll get there.” Stiles said confidently. “You’re going to be cuddly, too.” 

“You take that back right the hell now.” Theo told him, scowling. “I don’t do ‘cuddly.’”

Stiles laughed. “No, because you will.” He stood up straight, taking a few steps forward and pinning Theo against the wall of the shower as he leaned in. “You’ll not only deal with every single hug and snuggle session you get, you’ll start asking me for them.” 

“Shut your filthy mouth.” Theo glowered, sliding his palm around Stiles’ neck and yanking him close for a lewd, open-mouthed kiss.

Stiles groaned, kissing back eagerly. He smiled against Theo’s mouth and pulled away. “No.” 

Theo smirked at him, grasping Stiles’ hip with one hand and grinding their hips together. “That’s not an answer that makes me happy.” He murmured, nipping at Stiles’ jaw. “Maybe I should teach you a lesson.”

“Maybe you should accept that I’m right and you’re not.” Stiles smirked. “Maybe I won’t use the handcuffs on you that I went out of my way to buy at the mall.” 

Theo went silent, and then fidgeted for a moment. “Handcuffs?” He repeated eventually, narrowing his eyes at Stiles.

Stiles nodded. “Handcuffs.” He said again. “If you want to go play, you have to say ‘I love cuddles.’” 

Theo pursed his lips. “Not cool.” He muttered, exhaling. “I’m not saying that shit.”

“Okay, no problem.” Stiles picked up the bar of soap and started running it over Theo’s chest and shoulders. “Don’t say it, then.” 

Theo closed his eyes and sighed, dropping his forehead to Stiles’ shoulder as the other man soaped him up. “Okay.” He hummed, relaxing a little.

Stiles laughed as he turned the water off and left the bathroom, taking the towels with him. 

Theo slumped back against the wall, scowling after Stiles before he turned the water back on and washed himself off. “Dick!” He yelled after him.

“You know you like it!” Stiles yelled back, drying off on his way into the bedroom, to get dressed. 

“Of course I like it,” Theo snorted. He shut the water off and climbed out of the tub, then deliberately made his way out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom, soaking wet. He pointed at the water trail. “This is your fault.”

“I’ll clean it up when you say you like cuddling.” Stiles said calmly, tossing his towel at Theo.

Theo caught the towel. “Why is it so important to you for me to say it?” He frowned, drying off as best he could.

“I don’t know.” Stiles admitted. “Because it’s important to me, I guess. It might sound stupid to you, but I don’t like the idea of sex for the sake of sex. I’ve never really understood that. And it seems like that’s not what you want from me, anyway? Unless I’m misunderstanding.” 

Theo furrowed his brow. “I _don’t_ want sex with you for the sake of sex, but I don’t…” He exhaled heavily, studying Stiles for a long moment. “Is it a dealbreaker?” He asked eventually, looking tentative.

“Um. No?” Stiles shook his head. “I won’t actually force you to lay still and let me hold onto you or anything, I’m not that creepy. I was mostly teasing you, but I do think it would be nice to be able to curl up with someone after sex and just lay there and talk for awhile.” 

Theo licked his lips nervously, but nodded in understanding. “Okay.” He murmured, clearing his throat. “Well… I guess I don’t mind it _that_ much.”

“Do you mind laying down with me for a little bit, right now?” Stiles asked. “If you don’t, that’s fine, I need to take care of the stuff we got Allison, anyway.” 

Theo approached Stiles slowly, winding his arms around the other man’s waist. “I don’t mind.” He said quietly, staring at Stiles for a long moment before lifting his head to kiss him.

Stiles kissed back, putting his arms around Theo and holding him close. He felt like something between them had just changed, and he wasn’t sure what it was or how to address it. Instead, he took a step back, tugging Theo along with him as he laid down on the bed and put his arm back around his boyfriend. “Tell me what it was like. Any of it. All of it.” He said softly, staring into Theo’s eyes. “I want to hear about it.” 

Theo slotted himself into place above Stiles, shifting a little to the side so he wasn’t completely resting his weight on the other man. He took a few minutes to think, his fingers stroking down Stiles’ chest distractedly before he murmured, “Lonely. It was… now that I think back on it, it was really, really… lonely.”

“I know what that’s like.” Stiles murmured. “Probably not to the same extent that you do. Surrounded by adults though, and none of them wanting to listen because they’re caught up in their own shit? Yeah. I know that feeling too well.” 

Theo brushed a kiss across Stiles’ shoulder. “At least the adults in your life made some attempts to listen.” He scowled. “The fucking doctors weren’t exactly the best conversationalists to begin with.”

Stiles rubbed a hand up and down Theo’s back. “My dad listens now, but for a long time, he didn’t. I kind of resented the hell out of Scott for awhile, actually. Because my dad was more willing to trust him than even consider listening to what I was saying. I mean, I was lying to him a lot, so it wasn’t entirely undeserved. But even so...” 

Theo sighed. “But he trusts you now?” He asked quietly. “He - I mean, he gets it. He was ready to kill me when he saw me over what I did to you.” He looked down. “Must be nice, having someone willing to murder someone for you.”

“You don’t think I could get there, for you?” Stiles asked, his expression serious. “I know it’s still pretty early for this thing between us, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention to you at all this summer. I thought about what it would be like if I had done what you wanted, last year. If I had let you talk me through your plan, so I could know what it was. If you had actually told me, I mean. I might’ve been more willing to listen. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself. It’s probably not true. I probably wouldn’t have wanted to listen, I mean. But if I had, if things had gone entirely differently, I think... you’re really intelligent and you could lead if you went about it more honestly. I don’t like how Scott handled some of the things he did, and we had a long talk about it, afterward. He’s still my best friend. We all make mistakes. Um.” He smiled faintly. “I kind of forgot where I was going with this. I think the point I was trying to make was that I’d have killed for you, if you had given me more of an incentive than the crap you tried to pull. And if I agreed with your cause. I was more than ready to kill Jackson at one point, because of what was going on with him. And Derek. I definitely wouldn’t have objected to killing Peter. In fact, I sort of helped with that, anyway. It just didn’t stick.” 

Theo snorted out a laugh. “It takes a couple of tries to get used to it.” He paused, making a face. “Christ, pretend I didn’t just say that.” He muttered, shaking his head. 

“Nope.” Stiles kissed Theo. “I like you, you know? I’m pretty sure I said it and made it clear in the past twelve hours or so, but I just don’t want any room for doubt. What you did was brave, and you were scared and didn’t have anyone you thought you could rely on. In that same situation, I would have been a wreck. You weren’t.” 

Theo looked distant, leaning back on the bed and tugging Stiles against him. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.” He mumbled and rubbed at his face, yawning. “For the record, I really do like you, Stiles. I like you a lot.”

“I like you.” Stiles repeated. “If you’re tired, you can sleep. I can go take care of stuff while you do.” 

Theo nodded, and yawned again. “Okay.” He murmured, sighing. He kissed Stiles again, and then leaned back, stretching out across the bed.

Stiles leaned down to kiss Theo once more, then he got up from the bed and walked through the apartment, tearing open packaging in Allison’s room. He got started on making the bed with light pink sheets, since he remembered the way she and Lydia had been debating paint colors, once. He had a couple of pillows with that arrow print that he noticed was everywhere now, and as if he needed further proof, a jewelry box had a similar design etched into the top. He set that down on the dresser, then looked around to see if there was anything more he could do. Just to be sure he hadn’t completely missed the mark, he took a picture and sent it to Lydia’s phone, smiling to himself because he knew they would be spending time together. A few minutes later, Lydia sent a text with Allison’s reaction. And then his phone rang. 

“Hey, Allison.” Stiles smiled to himself as he sat at the foot of the bed he had just made for her. “You’re either calling to yell at me or thank me. Which one is it?” 

Allison laughed. “The second one. The room looks amazing, Stiles. You didn’t have to do that, but thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. I was kind of worried that it would be the wrong shade of pink or you’d think I was like, stereotyping you or something with the arrow-print things, but I mean, if you don’t like it, you can get your own stuff. I just figured I’d at least give it a try.” 

Allison grinned. “No, no. The arrow print is awesome. And you got the shade right. Listen, I’m… I’m completely amazed, Stiles. I love it.”

“Oh, thank god.” Stiles blurted. “Because halfway home, I thought maybe I was doing too much, and for no reason. If you hated this stuff, I bought it for no reason and I couldn’t return it, I kinda went nuts for sale prices because I’m not exactly wealthy.” 

“I’ll pay you back.” Allison said immediately. “I got ahold of one of my dad’s accounts, I can totally pay you back for anything you spent. It’s just - It’s so - I can’t make words right now, Stiles, I think you actually broke me.” She glanced over at Lydia, giggling a little, and blinked when she caught her friend’s expression.

“Well, I’m glad you like everything, but you don’t actually have to pay me back.” Stiles murmured. “You can help out by buying groceries or something. We haven’t actually done that yet.” 

Allison had gone quiet for a moment, and then sounded startled when she came back on the line. “Oh! Yeah, I can do that. I can absolutely do that. I still - I need to pay you back somehow. And grocery shopping is something I can definitely do.”

“Okay.” Stiles smiled. “Let me know when you’ll get here. I know I said it already. I’m going to probably wander around my building and then go to bed.” 

Allison huffed out a laugh. “You wander around your building a lot?” She teased. “I promise, _promise_ , I will tell you when I get to D.C.”

“We’ve got stores and a gym here, so yes.” Stiles laughed. “I’ll see you soon.” 

Allison grinned. “See you soon.” She returned. “Bye, Stiles.” Her voice was warm as she spoke.

Stiles said goodbye and hung up, then went into his bedroom to check on Theo. He wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to do it, other than the fact that his boyfriend had literally been through hell, and that was enough to make Stiles feel a little protective. 

Theo yawned, raising his eyes toward the doorway as he gazed at Stiles from the bed and blinked idly. “Couldn’t get to sleep just yet.” He murmured. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, really. I’m just kind of restless, myself. What were you planning to teach me tonight?” Stiles asked, sitting at the edge of the bed and reaching for Theo’s hand. 

Theo clasped Stiles’ hand and tucked it against his chest. “Meditation, mostly.” He murmured. “Connecting to yourself, your - center, I guess. You have to be able to… focus your thoughts on just one thing, on the ley lines, on traveling along them to get to where you want to go, and you need your mind clear to do that, you know?”

Stiles stared at Theo for a moment, then licked his lips nervously. “Uh, I already know how to do that, but... when I did it on Friday night, Lydia called to say she had found Boyd. Do you think I could’ve had something to do with that?” 

Theo furrowed his brows together. “I… think anything is possible. You could have, maybe.” He murmured, studying his lover’s face. “The thought freaks you out, doesn’t it?”

“Being a necromancer?” Stiles laughed. “Yeah! I don’t want that responsibility.” 

“But it could be fun.” Theo’s lips twitched, watching Stiles’ face.

“To have an undead army?” Stiles snorted. “Count me out. I hate zombies, anyway.” 

Theo smirked at him, dragging him down onto the bed. “Guess you should quit playing half of your video games, then, hmm?” He teased.

Stiles lifted his head to kiss Theo. “Not a chance. In fact, I’ve already managed to talk six people into joining one of my guilds.” 

Theo shook his head, sliding his hands over Stiles’ chest. “I don't understand how. I don't get these games of yours, I don't understand how they entertain you at all.”

“Well, that’s because you were raised by a bunch of hyper-clinical nutbars who never let you have actual fun. The games I love take time to create. It takes art and math and science to make the games run smoothly. The stars in their night sky didn't just appear, someone took the time to make them. They’re practically gods and nobody gives them half of the recognition they deserve. You start off doing things like killing murlocs that invaded your village, and then meet one who learned your language, just to beg you for help because another race is enslaving and killing his race’s children. And that kind of crap happened in history, anyway. So the storylines in the game weren't made up out of nowhere, these guys know what they're talking about.” Stiles made a face when he realized he was ranting a little too much. “I’m sorry.”

Theo was grinning faintly. “Look, I'm not gonna lie - hearing you talk about it like that and hearing how fucking enthusiastic you are about it kinda makes me want to play, too. Don't apologize.”

Stiles tried not to look too hopeful. “Seriously, you would? Because that would be amazing. There’s a lot of stuff that I’ve tried to convince other people to do, over the years, and none of them are interested.” 

Theo lifted an eyebrow. “If it’s something that would make you go apeshit happy, then yeah, I would.” He told Stiles simply. “Whatever. Couldn’t hurt to try it out, right?”

Stiles grinned. “Exactly.” He decided not to mention that he wished Theo had been like this a year earlier. “I’ll meditate for an hour if you play with me - oh god, not like that, and I can’t _believe_ I’m correcting myself - for an hour after that.” 

Theo snickered, ducking his head. “I’ll play with you.” He agreed. “Whatever way you want.”

Stiles leaned down to kiss Theo. “Did I mention that I’m glad you’re here? Because I am.” He smiled playfully and straddled Theo on the bed. 

Theo made a low, appreciative noise. “Oh, I’m really glad you’re here. And here.” He rolled his hips, sliding his hands up Stiles’ sides with a smirk before yanking him down against his chest. “Oh, and here, too.”

Stiles laughed and kissed Theo again. “I like seeing you like this.” He smiled. “It’s nice. You can actually be nice. I won’t tell people if you don’t want me to.” 

Theo rubbed Stiles’ thigh lightly. “You’re the only one that gets to know.” He murmured. “Okay? This is all for you.”

Stiles nodded in understanding. “I won’t say anything.” 

Theo smiled. “Good. Now come here. I need you.” He murmured.

Stiles kissed Theo again, then tilted his head to kiss his boyfriend’s neck, grinding his hips down against Theo’s. “It’s not going to hurt you to let them see you like this.” He said softly. “Well, not like this. I mean... nicer. They already know you’re capable of it. I really like it. I think that’s obvious by now.” 

Theo tilted his head back and closed his eyes, rubbing back against Stiles steadily. “Maybe,” he murmured quietly. “We’ll see. Right now, I just… I just want it to be something for you.”

“Okay.” Stiles lifted his head to look down at Theo. He got up, getting undressed again and laying down on his side as he started stroking Theo’s erection. “It’s just us here until whenever Allison arrives, so... I’m all yours.” 

Theo groaned, his head falling back. “Oh, god, yeah, you’re mine.” He moaned.

Stiles’ lips quirked. “I like hearing you say that.” He leaned down to kiss Theo’s chest. “And you’re mine, too.” 

Theo exhaled softly, a crooked grin appearing on his face as he ran his fingers through Stiles’ hair. “Yeah, I am.” He murmured, arching against him.

Stiles glanced up at Theo once more before he moved to take his lover’s erection into his mouth, determined to please him.

Theo’s eyes fluttered shut and he arched upward, moaning softly. “Baby,” he groaned, rolling his hips against Stiles’ mouth. “Christ, you feel so fucking good.”

Stiles had always been a fan of multi-tasking, and he let himself zone out, clearing his mind as he used his lips and tongue to make Theo come. 

Theo moaned again, his stomach muscles straining as he arched his back. “Stiles, baby,” he started, his voice breaking. He panted faster and faster, groaning loudly as he came. He slumped into a pile against the mattress, letting out a blissful laugh and reaching up to stroke Stiles’ hair. “Christ, you're incredible.” He murmured. “Turn over on the bed. I'll take care of you.” He grinned up at the ceiling, but furrowed his brow when there was no response. “Stiles?”

Stiles kept his focus on his own heartbeat, his eyes closed as he breathed in and out slowly. The noise around him had faded away, and he imagined energy coming from him, flaring blue like his Jeep and traveling down through the building, to the nearest ley line. 

“Stiles?” Theo asked again, sitting up and grabbing Stiles by the shoulders. “Stiles!” He lightly shook the other man, and then shook him again harder. “Dude! Wake the hell up, Stiles, what the hell?”

Stiles felt like he could reach out and touch the ley line, either drawing energy from it or feeding his own energy into it, if he wanted to. Just as the blue light moved closer to the line, illuminating a large section of it, he felt himself being yanked back by Theo calling his name. He blinked, confused. “What?” 

Theo blinked back at him, looking bewildered. “What, what? What in the hell happened? Where the hell were you?”

Stiles smiled. “I found the ley line.” He murmured. “Did...” He trailed off, running his tongue over his teeth. “Nevermind, that answers that question. At least you enjoyed yourself. Or so I’m assuming.” 

Theo snorted. “Well, yeah, I fucking enjoyed it, but the enjoyment sorta went sideways when I realized you went on a fucking walkabout. Jesus, I’ve never been on the other side of that, it’s fucking terrifying.”

“I’d apologize, but the only thing I’m sorry about is missing the first blowjob I ever gave, since it was apparently awesome.” Stiles shrugged. “And if I can manage what I just did without your explanations of how it works, I’m kind of eager to try it again once you give me some pointers.” He paused, grinning. “For both things.” 

Theo snorted again, this time in amusement. “Believe me, I’m more than willing to help.” He crooked his finger at Stiles. “Now. Let me return the favor, hmm?”

Stiles nodded, moving to lay on his back. “Like I was going to say no to that?” 

Theo grinned, sliding down Stiles’ body and dropping kisses all across his skin before taking his lover’s erection into his mouth.

Stiles groaned, reaching behind him and gripping the pillow at the head of the bed. 

Theo took a slow, steadying breath through his nostrils, and then dipped his head lower, swallowing Stiles down as deeply as he could.

“So good.” Stiles was tempted to close his eyes, but he left them open, worried that he would zone out again. 

Theo laughed quietly, swallowing steadily around Stiles and pulling off every few moments in order to suck roughly at the head of his lover’s cock.

Stiles bit down on his lip, his hips jerking up from the bed as he came. “God. Theo.” 

“Mmm.” Theo grinned lazily, swallowing around Stiles. He hummed again in satisfaction. “Yeah, I’m going to need to do that again.”

“Yeah.” Stiles stared up at Theo. “You’re so incredible.” 

Theo shook his head, smiling. “Nah, not at all.” He crawled up Stiles’ body and leaned in to kiss him, a hand clasping his hip and squeezing it gently.

“Just take the compliment.” Stiles protested, putting his arms around Theo. 

“Nope.” Theo popped the ‘p,’ grinning as he tilted his head and kissed Stiles lightly.

Stiles laughed. “You’re so damned impossible.” He pouted. “Why do I like you?” 

“I’m charming, I’m handsome, I’m clever, I make you laugh…” Theo’s lips quirked. “Take your pick.”

“Humble, too.” Stiles teased. “Shut up and let me cuddle you.” 

Theo snorted, throwing his arms wide as he rolled to his back, raising his eyebrows at Stiles.

Stiles rolled onto his side and put his arm around Theo, kissing him again. 

Theo kissed him back, smiling faintly and stroked his fingers through Stiles’ hair, his other hand slipping around Stiles’ waist.


	4. Chapter 4

Theo grumbled a little as he woke up to the sound of an incessant buzzing noise. Flapping a hand toward the noise, he grunted when something hit the floor with a clatter, and then groaned when he opened his eyes and rolled over to see that it was Stiles’ phone. Reaching down to pick it up, he turned it over and saw that it was ringing, and that Allison’s name and number were emblazoned across the screen. Without thinking, he answered the call. “‘Lo?” 

Allison blinked. “Um… Stiles? Did I wake you up? I'm so sorry.”

“‘S not Stiles.” Theo yawned. “Nice to… uh, well. Talk to you, I guess. I'm Theo.”

The uncertain tone in Allison’s voice changed instantly. “Oh!” She blurted. “Hi! Nice to - talk to you, too.” She laughed. “Is Stiles with you? I just wanted to let him know that I've got my ticket, and I'll be flying out this afternoon.”

“Okay.” Theo murmured in agreement. “He's not in here but he's somewhere in the house. When are you going to be in D.C.?”

“Not until three tomorrow afternoon.” Allison grimaced. “The only flight they had available for me to still buy a ticket for that would leave ASAP has two stops. So I've gotta fly from Redding to San Francisco, and then from San Francisco to Chicago, and then from Chicago to D.C. If I snap at either of you when I get off the plane, I apologize in advance.”

Theo snorted out a laugh. “Noted. I'll let Stiles know.”

“Let Stiles know what?” Stiles asked, drying his hair with a towel. “Get up and go shower, we have to leave for class, soon.” 

Theo tossed the phone at him. “I’ll let her tell you while I make myself handsome.” He leaned in and kissed him as he passed.

Stiles grinned and watched Theo for a moment before he spoke. “Hey, Allison. What’s up?” 

“Hi!” Allison greeted, beaming. “I just called to let you know that I’m leaving Beacon Hills this afternoon. I’ll be in D.C. by about three tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s a long time.” Stiles muttered. “Do you need anything?” 

Allison sighed, smiling crookedly. “Nothing, I don’t think. And - yeah, I know. It was the only flight I could grab that was ready to go, you know?”

“Yeah.” Stiles murmured. “Well, I’ll try to be there tomorrow, to get you. But you have my address, anyway.” 

“If you can’t make it, I’ll just hail a cab, okay?” Allison murmured. “Don’t worry about it if you can’t get away.”

“Well, I have a class that runs from one until three tomorrow, but flights tend to have delays, so maybe I can make it? Worst case, we’ll at least meet at my apartment.” Stiles murmured. “Or I’ll ditch it.” 

Allison let out a soft laugh. “Don’t ditch your class for me. Maybe I’ll stop and get something to eat at the airport after I get off the plane and get my luggage.” She took a deep breath. “I’m not going to lie, I’m actually really looking forward to seeing you, Stiles.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing you, too.” Stiles laughed, teasing her when he spoke again. “I’m kind of picturing you as looking like a zombie.” 

Allison giggled. “No, you ass. My skin is not melting off, and you’re not going to have a _Walking Dead_ moment. I’m not interested in eating you.”

“Not even a little?” Stiles asked before he could stop himself. “Shit, ignore that. I spent most of yesterday having sex, I’m just addled right now. And I haven’t had coffee.” 

Allison couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips, her cheeks reddening. “It’s okay. I think I remember how that feels, but, um… it’s been a while. Since… god.” She grimaced. “Isaac. Just before I died.”

“Yeah, but that’s been about two years for us, it’s been a few days, for you.” Stiles pointed out. “Maybe a month at most, right? That’s not so bad. Are you - did you call him?” 

Allison paused, and then sighed. “No. He… got out of Beacon Hills. And if it’s been two years for you… since I’ve been gone, then… He wouldn’t want to come back here. Frankly, I wouldn’t blame him.”

“But you don’t know that.” Stiles licked his lips. “Hey, I have to go. But think about it, okay? At least let him know you’re alive.” 

“Okay.” Allison said softly. “I’ll think about it. And - I’ll see you tomorrow, Stiles.”

“Hell yeah, you will.” Stiles smiled. “I’ll make dinner. Or bring it home.” 

Another giggle bubbled past Allison’s lips. “Okay.” She agreed. “I’m not picky, so anything you get is probably something I’ll eat.”

Stiles felt a little childish as he said it, but he smirked as he spoke. “I’ll fry boogers and worms, then.” 

“You’re so gross.” Allison snorted.

“Yeah, but I can say it because you know I’d never actually do that.” Stiles remarked. He glanced at the time on his phone, then put it back up to his ear. “I really do need to get going. Call me or text me when you get to each airport, okay? So I can keep track of you like the paranoid asshole I am.” 

Allison smiled fondly. “I absolutely will. I’ll even buy wifi on the plane at some point just so I can text you or call you while I’m in the air, okay?”

“Okay.” Stiles put his phone on speaker and hurriedly put his shoes on, then his jacket. “I really have to go.” He laughed. 

Allison giggled. “You keep saying that, but you haven’t hung up the phone yet.” She teased. “I think you like talking to me too much.”

Theo poked his head out of the bathroom and looked at Stiles, his toothbrush in his mouth and an eyebrow raised in amusement before he ducked back inside.

Stiles snorted. “Well, I guess there might be a way to get me where I’m going much faster, so maybe I want to try that out.” He murmured. “And Theo is making fun of me now, too. So thanks for that.” 

“Aww, you’re _so_ welcome,” Allison cooed at him, laughing.

Stiles stared at his phone for a moment, then hung up, scratching the back of his head. He put his phone into his pocket. “Hey, ready to go now?” He called out. 

“Gimme a minute,” Theo called back. He came out of the bathroom a moment later, fully dressed and running his fingers through his hair. “Are you done being giggle buddies with Allison, then?”

“For now.” Stiles grinned. “We’re running late. Feel like showing me how ley lines work, now?” 

Theo grinned. “Thought you'd never ask.” He took Stiles’ arm, holding on tightly. “Close your eyes. Clear your mind. Reach deep, deep down inside of you and feel your connection to the earth, to the ley lines. The second you feel it, grab it. Think of where you need to be.”

Stiles nodded, smiling faintly as he followed Theo’s instructions. Like before, the blue light traveled down through the building, and he instinctively clutched Theo’s sides. The sensation of using a zipline overtook him, and he opened his eyes a moment later. 

Theo was gazing at him, an astonished look on his face. “I have to admit, I expected some problems. I didn't know that you'd get it that fast.” He looked around, observing the building that they needed to enter in order to get to class. “We made it.”

“I didn’t think I would get it that quickly, either.” Stiles admitted, grinning. “This is like the mountain ash, all over again.” 

Theo stared at Stiles in surprise, and then huffed out a laugh. “I should've expected you would have a knack for this.” He leaned forward to kiss Stiles lightly. “I feel proud.”

Stiles put his arms around Theo. “We’ll save so much money and time, doing this instead of taking the train and buses.” He laughed. He knew they needed to get to their first class, but he was content to stay where he was. 

Theo slipped his fingers around Stiles’ hips, rubbing lightly and grinning. “I guess we’re lucky as hell that you’re a quick study.” He murmured, and then voiced Stiles’ thoughts. “Do we really need to get to class? Can’t we skip?”

“That’s so irresponsible.” Stiles smiled. “You’re a complete disappointment. And you’re a bad influence.” He kissed Theo. “I’ll make a deal with you? We attend classes and go home and have sex two or three times, and then I’ll make dinner?”

Theo made a show of thinking it over. “Half the day. We attend half the day’s classes, go home, have sex twice, and I’ll blow you. Then…” he sidled closer to Stiles, smirking and squeezing his hips. “We’ll make dinner together. And by together, I mean mostly you because I'm pretty sure I could burn water. And the pan it's in.” His smile softened. “But I'll definitely be there for moral support.”

Stiles laughed. “How about if we attend half of the classes for the day, and then I’ll let you know what I’ve decided, after that?” 

Theo grinned. “Fine with me.” He murmured, and then playfully smacked at Stiles’ backside. “God, let’s go, Stiles, we’re gonna be late.”

Stiles stared at Theo for a moment, then grinned and started walking toward their first class of the day. He was strangely grateful that Theo had followed him across the country and wanted to take all of the same classes that he was in. He had resorted to bribing the high school guidance counselors to make sure he was in as many courses with Scott as possible, which other people had told him was obsessive behavior. Theo Raeken was one of the most obsessive people he had ever met, and Stiles had his own thoughts to deal with, so he was pretty sure he set the bar, when it came to that. Something about knowing where Theo would be at nearly every minute of the day thrilled him. He could tell he was probably headed down a dark path with the chimera at his side, but he was intrigued, nonetheless. 

Theo wrapped an arm casually around Stiles’ waist, ignoring the fact that he’d basically shrunk the walking space in the hallway for everyone else. He only smirked, pleased with himself, and more than proud to be at Stiles’ side. It wasn’t so much that he’d gotten what he wanted, though that was a big part of it. What he had wanted was Stiles, and… explaining the why of why he wanted Stiles was… possibly more time consuming that anyone actually had any time for at all.


	5. Chapter 5

Stiles still felt like he was living in a dream, by the time he was making dinner that night. He had managed to dominate discussions in all four of the classes he had for the day, and nobody called him names or insulted his clothing out of irritation. “I love college.” He murmured, glancing up at Theo as he finished grating cheese for their lasagna. “I took a ridiculous amount of required courses this semester and one that’s way too easy, but I don’t care.” 

Theo huffed out a laugh, leaning against the counter. “You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t overwhelm yourself with classes.” He told Stiles. “I’d say you’re ridiculous, but I like that you do this shit, so… yeah.”

Stiles smiled playfully. “You’re in love with me, aren’t you?” 

“What makes you think that?” Theo asked, lifting his eyebrows and moving closer to Stiles. He smirked as he fenced the other man in against the counter.

“Just a guess.” Stiles pressed back against Theo, turning around to face him a moment later.

Theo tilted his head to the side to kiss Stiles deeply, slipping his hand around the other boy’s hip. “Good guess.” He murmured.

Stiles put his arms around Theo, sighing against his mouth. “I’m definitely keeping you around.” He murmured. 

“Yeah?” Theo grinned. “I’d be okay with that, believe me.” He tilted his head, nipping at Stiles’ lower lip.

Stiles unfastened Theo’s jeans, smiling faintly. “Tell me something about you that I don’t already know.” 

Theo leaned back, smiling crookedly and arching his hips to help Stiles. “Something about me that you don’t already know… that’s a tough one. There’s not much to me. But, uh… I like writing. Sorry if that sounds weird. But, uh, yeah, I like writing. Like - I’ve thought of writing for money, my future. And I’m good with my hands, so if that didn’t work out, then I guess I could, I don’t know, do construction or woodwork or something.”

“Yeah?” Stiles started stroking Theo through his underwear. “What would you write about?” He lowered his mouth to Theo’s neck, brushing his lips over his lover’s skin. 

Theo tilted his head back with a low groan. “Oh - christ, I don’t know. Current events? War? Entertainment? Jesus, Stiles, more of that, baby.”

Stiles murmured in agreement, moving to kneel on the floor. He looked up at Theo. “Whatever it is you want to do, I know you’ll be good at it.” 

Theo grinned down at him, stretching an arm behind his head. “Same with you. You’re just good at so much.”

Stiles glanced away, his stomach full of butterflies. It wasn’t that he had never received a compliment before, but it still made him feel strange. 

Theo reached down, running his fingers through Stiles’ hair lightly. “Hey.” He murmured. “You look good. You really do. You’re gorgeous, jesus, Stiles.” He let out a slow breath, staring down at him. “I want you so damn badly.”

“Bedroom?” Stiles asked quietly, tilting his head back to look up at Theo. 

Theo nodded hurriedly. “God, yeah, please.”

Stiles smiled and got to his feet, going into the bedroom and undressing himself. He wasn’t sure what Theo wanted, specifically, so he waited instead of laying down on the bed. 

Theo approached him crookedly, slipping his arms around him. “Come here. Let’s go to bed, baby.” He murmured.

“Yeah, I want to.” Stiles nodded. “I just wasn’t sure what you wanted to do, exactly.” 

Theo lifted an eyebrow, and then shrugged. “Whatever we want to do.” He said. “Whatever you’re comfortable with. I could blow you, I could grind against you, or we can have sex.”

“I’m comfortable with anything. I want to try everything.” Stiles blurted. “I want you to do what you want.” 

Theo snorted out a laugh. “I’m putting a stop to this conversation right now, otherwise we’re going to be going ‘round and ‘round in circles all night. I want everything. Okay? Everything.” He grabbed Stiles by his hip and dragged him toward the bed, leaning in to kiss him thoroughly.

Stiles kissed back eagerly. “I want you to touch me.” He murmured. “I want you in me.” 

Theo chuckled softly and slid between Stiles’ thighs. “Oh, baby - you’ve got me.” He murmured, kissing hungrily as he tugged Stiles’ legs around his hips and slid inside of him in one motion.

Stiles groaned, closing his eyes. 

“You feel so good.” Theo murmured, hiding his face in Stiles’ neck, moving steadily inside of the other man.

Stiles rested a hand on the back of Theo’s neck. He knew he was taking a risk, but he felt overwhelmed and couldn’t help asking, “Did you do something to me? Did you dose me with something?” 

Theo pulled back and gave Stiles a small scowl. “No. And no.”

“Don’t be mad.” Stiles looked up at Theo. “This isn’t something I’m complaining about. Not even close. But it’s so quick, it just - feels almost unreal. That terrifies me. You have to understand.” 

Theo stared at him, and then sighed. “Yeah, I guess I get it.” He murmured. “I didn’t do anything to you, though. I promise.”

“I’ve been with you all of two days.” Stiles said gently, staring up at Theo. “And I’m feeling like I should already be saying things that I think it might be too soon for you to hear? Or even want to hear. But I remember you from before you left. When we were kids. And I know - somehow I just... I know this isn’t just a lust thing.” 

“It’s not.” Theo agreed, nodding. “If it was lust - if it was just lust, I wouldn’t have followed you across the country. I wouldn’t be living with you and taking classes with you. I wouldn’t want to be a part of your life.”

“So it’s okay if I tell you already?” Stiles asked. “Because this might be new, but you’re not new. Different, yeah, and I like that.” He smiled. “And everything - for us, every hour is like twenty, right? Because it’s not like people from Beacon Hills have long lifespans.” 

Theo smiled faintly and tugged Stiles against him as he started to move again. “You can tell me.” He murmured. “I definitely don’t mind. In fact, I think I can tell you that I’ve got no problem saying anything back to you.”

“I love you.” Stiles lifted his head to kiss Theo. “I love that you came here and I love that you wanted so badly to protect our town that you were willing to go against the people who raised you, and I love that you thought you had to do it yourself, even though you really didn’t, because you knew Scott was against killing anyone.” 

Theo kissed him back slowly, cupping the other man’s face. “I love you, too.” He murmured softly. “I wish you wouldn’t say things like that, though.” He laughed. “I’m not a hero, Stiles, I’m not… out in the world and doing things for anyone else’s benefit except my own, you know?”

“I think you want to believe that because that’s the way they taught you to think. Very Machiavellian.” Stiles teased. “But that’s not who you are.” 

Theo snorted. “I still don’t even know who I am.” He murmured softly, nipping at Stiles’ neck. “How can you know me so easily?”

“It’s a gift, I guess.” Stiles shrugged. “I’ve kind of always known who’s evil and who isn’t.” 

Theo huffed a laugh and rolled, dragging Stiles over him, lifting his head to kiss him softly.

Stiles sat up on his knees after he kissed Theo, wriggling a little to get comfortable. 

Theo grunted, wrapping an arm around Stiles’ neck, sitting up until they were pressed together once more.


	6. Chapter 6

Since they didn’t get around to making lasagna the night before, Stiles decided to make it as a ‘Welcome to Washington, D.C.’ dinner for Allison, whose flight was delayed a few hours. He had begged Theo to attend the late afternoon classes they shared while he came home to cook, feeling oddly domestic as he pulled the pan out of the oven and turned the heat off. 

Theo shook his head, laughing. “I have a feeling this is gonna happen every damn time we try to make lasagna, Stiles. It’ll almost be ready to cook, and we’ll get distracted with… other things.” His eyes twinkled.

Stiles laughed. “Maybe every other time. This is done.” He took the oven mitts off and hung them up, kissing Theo. “What did I miss in our classes?” 

Theo kissed him back softly. “The usual shit.” He murmured, shrugging. “It was actually a bit difficult to pay attention without you there.”

“Really? I would have thought I was a distraction. And ‘the usual shit’ tells me nothing when that was the first time we had those classes.” Stiles remarked, smiling as he shook his head. 

Theo smirked. “It was Media Law. Law of any kind bores me. And it was Social Media, and I hate being social. The only class I could focus on was digital media because it was pretty cool, and even then, I had no idea what the hell we were doing. The only reason I can focus on any class is because you’re there with me, telling me to stop staring at you and pay attention.”

Stiles laughed, kissing Theo again. “I’ll just read over the syllabi and figure it out.” 

Theo smiled, rubbing Stiles’ side. “Probably a better idea, yeah. When is Allison supposed to be here, did she tell you? It figures she’d get the first flight out that she could, get delayed a day, and then get delayed a few more hours.”

“She should be here any minute now, actually.” Stiles murmured. “I’ll call her.” He grabbed his phone from the living room and waited for Allison to answer, holding the phone to his ear as he looked around to make sure the place wasn’t a total mess. 

“Hi, I hate flying.” Allison answered with a sigh. “Remind me to take a train next time. And to beg you on my hands and knees to come and get me, or to get a rental car because holy hell, I hate this, I hate this a lot.””

“Don’t put ideas in my head.” Stiles smiled. “Where are you now? We could come get you.” 

Allison whimpered. “I’m at the lost luggage office. Because guess what the airline did?”

Stiles put his phone on speaker and walked back into the kitchen. “Say that again, sorry.” He told Allison, motioning for Theo to listen. 

Theo frowned, moving closer to Stiles.

Allison grumbled under her breath. “I said, the fucking airline lost my luggage. This has literally been the worst experience flying that I have ever suffered and can you please come save me now?”

Stiles glanced at Theo. He wasn’t used to requests like this and he knew the simple answer was ‘yes,’ but he felt like it was more important for Theo to say it. He couldn’t explain his reasoning, and he doubted he would be asked to, anyway. 

Theo glanced questioningly at Stiles, and then shrugged. “We’ll be right there, Allison. Hold tight, okay?”

Allison expelled a huge sigh of relief. “God, yes, please, thank you. You guys are lifesavers.” She paused. “Like, seriously, you’re saving my life, please save me, this place smells so bad and the guy at the lost luggage counter keeps staring at me. I can absolutely kick his ass if he tries anything, but I’m surrounded by people that would probably have me arrested.”

Stiles laughed. “We’ll literally be right there, okay?” He hung up, shoving his phone into his pocket and holding both of his hands up, nodding to Theo. “Come on.” He smiled crookedly. “You’re driving.” 

Theo snorted. “Alright, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to have to take the normal way back. Not sure Allison’s got the mojo to take our particular… uh, express shuttle.” He grinned. “Hooray for rental cars.” Wrapping an arm around Stiles’ waist, he shut his eyes, shifted in place, and inhaled deeply.

Stiles put his arms around Theo’s shoulders, closing his own eyes. He opened them when he heard a crowd of people speaking around him and Theo, and he wondered how oblivious the rest of the world could be, since their sudden appearance out of thin air hadn’t alarmed anyone. 

Like he knew what Stiles was thinking, Theo murmured, “I never thought to ask, but I figured that there’s some sort of… I don’t know, fucking Harry Potter spell in place or something.”

Stiles laughed and kissed Theo. “Makes sense, for Slytherins like us.” 

Theo snorted, kissing him back. “Of course, makes perfect sense. Come on, let’s get Princess Allison out of here. I hate seeing a woman cry and I’m pretty sure she was close to it.”

“I cannot _wait_ to see the two of you having a face to face conversation.” Stiles blurted. “I just feel like... well, anyway. Come on.” He wondered if it would be too much if he got his camera out to take pictures of Allison and Theo when they saw each other. He had a pretty good instinct about a lot of things, he had come to learn over the years; these two were more alike than Scott would ever want to admit. 

Theo watched Stiles in amusement, shaking his head. “I don’t understand why you’re so excited to see the two of us talking. What, do you think I’m going to fall head over heels or something?”

“I don’t know.” Stiles shrugged. “Maybe.” He looked through the crowd, waving a hand to get Allison’s attention. 

Allison looked up just in time to catch sight of Stiles, and a wave of relief washed over her face. She was on her feet and running toward him in an instant. “Oh, holy hell, you have no idea how good it is to see you!” She blurted, throwing her arms around him.

Stiles laughed and hugged Allison. “It’s really good to see you, too.” He pulled back, eyeing her critically. “You don’t _look_ like a zombie. But I’m not so sure I’m convinced.” 

Allison beamed at him. “Well, I could eat your face off, I guess, but we’re in a public place, and that’d probably send people running for the hills. You know, bloody and all that crap.” She cocked her head to the side. “I could gnaw on your fingers a little, if you want.”

Stiles shook his head. “No, thanks.” He gestured to Theo. “This is Theo, by the way.” 

Allison turned her head to look at the other man, looking a little sheepish as she let go of Stiles and thrust her hand out to Theo. “Hi. Sorry. I don’t normally cling to people like a limpet.” She paused. “Or, you know, I do, but only when their evil doppelganger has supernatural ninja warriors stab me in the back and I’ve been dead for longer than I’ve expected, god, I should really stop talking. Let me try that again.” She cleared her throat, smiling brightly at Theo. “Hi, I’m Allison Argent.”

Theo could feel Stiles’ gaze on him, and it made the space between his shoulder blades itch a little as he shook Allison’s hand. “Theo Raeken.” He murmured. “I’m assuming you’re talking about the nogitsune. I wasn’t in close proximity for that, and I never had the privilege of seeing you.” He glanced at Stiles. “Is that good enough for you?” 

Stiles laughed. “I just realized that the three of us should be calling ourselves Team Bad Decisions.” 

Allison groaned. “You wouldn’t be wrong.” She sighed. “Plenty of bad decisions to be had, from me at least.” She looked up at Theo, and then looked down at their hands, smiling a little as her cheeks reddened. “It’s nice to meet you properly, Theo.” She murmured.

Theo grinned crookedly. “Nice to meet you properly, too.” He leaned against Stiles a little, eyeing the brunette for a long moment before it occurred to him to give her her hand back. He let go. “Any word about your luggage?”

Allison’s smile promptly faded into a frown, and she scowled, glaring over her shoulder at the lost luggage office. “No.” She muttered. “Apparently, my stuff never made it onto the plane? Or it made it onto a plane, but not the one I was on - I’m fucking irritated, I had brand new stuff in those suitcases, damn it.”

Stiles got a curious look on his face, and he turned toward Theo. “Come here.” He murmured, crooking a finger at his boyfriend and taking a few steps back, away from Allison. “What do you think the odds are that we can get her stuff for her from whatever the hell airport has it?” 

Theo frowned a little as he thought. “Well, we have to narrow down where the hell they took it, first. But… once we do that, I’d say we have pretty damn good odds.”

“She might already know.” Stiles murmured. “Once she tells us, we’ll just tell her to go on without us and go over there and get it.” 

Theo shrugged, but nodded. “Yeah, okay. Definitely.” The corner of his mouth twitched upward. “You’re loving the ley line travel, aren’t you?” He teased. “And you thought you wouldn’t be able to do it.”

“I want to help her, since I feel like I owe her.” Stiles explained. “But yes, I do love it.” He smiled. “It would’ve made my life easier if I had known how to do it before, but I don’t think I would have been able to do it before the nogitsune took over.” 

“Well, you never know. You might have?” Theo murmured, shrugging. “Everyone’s got a little bit of supernatural capability. Some of it lies dormant, some of it manifests as a spark. Some people accidentally blow the power for the entire Eastern Seaboard, not that I’m saying I’ve ever done it.”

Stiles laughed. “But you know someone who did?” 

Theo looked sheepish. “Well, no, that was… I've been watching too much tv. Whatever. It doesn't matter.”

Stiles put his hands on Theo’s hips, pulling him close and lowering his voice. “It should probably worry me that you talking about watching tv is turning me on.” 

Theo snorted. “I could probably talk about gutting a fish and it would turn you on,” he teased, wrapping his arm around Stiles’ waist. 

Allison watched them silently and she couldn't tell entirely what her reaction was, whether she was attracted to the sight of them together or annoyed that she'd suddenly been ignored. But she definitely found herself drawn toward them, shuffling forward a few inches at a time until she was only a foot away from then, her fingers clasped together. “What are you guys talking about?” She asked in a loud whisper, leaning toward them. 

Stiles laughed as he turned his head to look at Allison. “Do you know where exactly your luggage ended up?” 

Allison made a face. “I think they said it ended up on a flight to - um…” she frowned a little. “Raleigh. Yeah, it was Raleigh.”

Stiles looked back at Theo. “Wanna go to North Carolina with me?” 

Theo squinted at him. “Shouldn't someone stay with Allison?” He asked. “Or at least get her home before we go?”

Allison squinted at them both. “Um… what exactly are you talking about?”

“Theo’s taught me a neat trick.” Stiles grinned. “You can take her home.” He told Theo. “I’ll probably be there by the time you get there, if I don’t have to look too long for her stuff.” 

Theo snorted. “God speed.” He told his lover, wrapping a hand around the back of Stiles’ neck and dragging him into a kiss.

Allison watched, fascinated, before blinking rapidly and shaking her head. “What trick?” She asked Stiles, crowding toward him and poking him. “You aren’t seriously going to North Carolina right now, are you?”

Theo snickered, winding his arm around Allison’s waist and lifting her easily as he stepped back from Stiles. “Be careful, be aware, be safe.” He told Stiles. “We’ll see you at home.”

Stiles nodded and took a step back, closing his eyes. A few seconds later, he was gone. 

Theo smiled proudly and turned toward Allison. “Did you get your rental car, yet?” 

Allison blinked, and then blinked again before looking up at Theo, startled. “I, uh - no. Not… not yet, where did he go?” She blurted, pointing to the empty space in front of them. “He was there and now he isn’t.”

“What do you know about ley lines?” Theo guided Allison toward the rental car counters. 

“Absolutely nothing.” Allison told him, smiling crookedly. She found herself pressing into his touch a little, not the least bit ashamed, but just a little embarrassed at feeling so touch-starved that anyone’s hands against her would make her act the way she was. “What about them?”

“They have a lot of uses.” Theo was a little surprised by Allison’s reaction to him. He wondered what Scott and Lydia had told her about him, and he assumed the answer to that was ‘nothing,’ since she hadn’t hit him or threatened to kill him. “Right now, Stiles is using them to travel to Raleigh and get your suitcases for you. Energy can be put into them and drawn from them. Beacon Hills is surrounded by ley lines, like whoever decided on the town’s boundaries was very particular about the location of every line and where it connects to another line. I didn’t feel like flying out here, so I used them to get to him. Here, to him, I mean. I don’t know what you’ve heard about me.” He smiled softly. “I’m kind of trying to prove that I’m not a psychopath. Stiles seems to already believe that I’m past it. I’m letting you make your own decisions about that. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t like me. A lot of people don’t.” 

“Well… this is the first time I’m meeting you, and you don’t seem like a psychopath to me.” Allison murmured, studying him. “But most people wouldn’t look at me and believe that I went off the deep end and shot two of my schoolmates full of arrows.” Her smile turned wry. “You know, because I look so sweet and Disney princess-like.”

“I think I understand now why Stiles referred to us as Team Bad Decisions.” Theo laughed. “I was trying to stop my guardians, for lack of a better term, from doing something that would have brought destruction to the entire town. Possibly the world. I didn’t do it the way I should have. I kept secrets. I thought I could handle it all on my own. Stiles has forgiven me. I don’t think Scott ever will.” 

Allison exhaled softly. “Scott is… very particular about who he trusts. He hates secrets… mostly because they remind him of the crap his dad hid from him and his mom before his parents divorced. He doesn’t take well to… betrayal. Um… And he’s…” She smiled a little fondly. “He’s naive about it, and a little foolish about it. He doesn’t realize that it’s a double standard, sometimes, the way he thinks. He expects everyone to be honest and open and loyal to him, but it confuses him when people get angry with him for… doing the same thing that the rest of us did. He’s not stupid, he’s… brilliant, really, and he’s so…” She exhaled. “He’s so kind and - and good. It just genuinely doesn’t compute with him why it’s okay for him to do something, but not okay when someone else does something similar. I wouldn’t have blamed him at all if he’d never forgiven me for what I did. And I still don’t understand why he did, but I figured that was just because of the connection we had. And, you know, I kinda died in his arms, and that leaves a hell of an impression on people, it’s just - it’s a thing.” She shook her head. “Don’t let it bother you if Scott never forgives you. You’re here for Stiles, right? His opinion is the one that matters.”

Theo nodded. “Yeah. The short version of the story is that he thought I moved away, but I didn’t. I could only watch from a distance as he went through things. I wasn’t permitted to talk to anyone. Of all of them, he’s the only one that I think could even come close to understanding me.” He gave Allison an assessing look. “Maybe you could.” 

Allison smiled crookedly. “I got real up close and personal with my dark side, with my family’s dark side, in a way I never expected. I think… even if I can’t understand you, I’d do a better job listening than most people would.”

“Go ahead and rent your car.” Theo smiled. “We can talk on the way back to the apartment.” He wasn’t sure what he wanted to tell her, but he had already realized that trying to carefully plan around how much information to give her was part of the problem he had, before. She might end up hating him when he was done explaining what she had missed, but he felt a little lighter at the idea of someone disliking him for the truth instead of a lie. 

Allison nodded, giving him a small, faint smile before she turned toward the counter and caught the attention of the person behind it. About fifteen minutes later, she was signing paperwork and being passed a set of keys. She turned to look at Theo. “Well, I’m ready. Are you?”

Theo nodded. “Yeah. Stiles made lasagna and it’s probably cold by now.” He muttered. “We were going to have it last night, but I distracted him from cooking.” 

Allison snickered. “Oh, _distracted_ him, hmm?”

“Yeah, I’ve been _distracting_ him a lot, these last few days.” Theo winked. 

Allison giggled. “Well, for your sakes, I hope my being here doesn’t get in the way of your distractions.”

“Oh, I'm planning on getting really loud at some point.” Theo said bluntly. “It’s my way of saying welcome to your new life.” He laughed. “He’s been tripping over himself to make sure you’re comfortable. I have to balance things out, somehow.” 

Allison looked startled by Theo’s words. “Oh, that’s - he isn’t somehow trying to make up for the nogitsune murdering me, is he? Because dammit, I told him I didn’t blame him, I blamed the crazy ass fox spirit that stole his face.”

“Yeah? Which one of you brought it up?” Theo asked pointedly, already knowing the answer. “My guess is that he figured out how to move on from that, even with me trying to get him to become so angry and vengeful that he couldn’t help himself.” He grimaced. “At the time, I knew that Scott wasn’t capable of murder and I needed someone who was. Or I thought I did, anyway.” 

“There are always ways around murder.” Allison muttered, looking down. “And yeah, I brought it up. I’ve become a little, um… I think my sense of humor’s been screwed up since I came back. I thought mentioning it at the time was funny. I didn’t mean to make him feel bad.”

“He’ll realize that eventually.” Theo put a hand on Allison’s shoulder. “Want me to just drive back, or do you want directions from me?” 

Allison looked up at him and smiled a little. “Maybe you could drive us back?”

Theo held his hand out for the key, taking it from Allison. “What has it been like, since you came back?” He started walking toward the lot of rental cars, checking the ID number on the tag to make sure he had the right car. 

Allison followed after him closely, thinking uncertainly about how to answer. “Um… It’s been… loud?” She looked uncertain. “I mean… I don’t remember being dead. I… know it happened, I know that technically, there should be a big honking hole right in the middle of my chest. I… I don’t know. I have no idea how I should be feeling about being back, because… for me, no real time has passed.”

“Kira trapped me in a hole.” Theo muttered. “It’s this one.” He pointed to a silver Mitsubishi. “Not my idea of a great car, but I was driving a truck. I gave it to Scott. I thought that might help him see that I’m actually trying. It probably didn’t, and he’s probably driving it, anyway.” 

“I’ll tell Lydia to give him a slap the next time I talk to her.” Allison paused. “Which should probably be soon, because I’m pretty sure she’ll murder me if I don’t let her know I got here safely.”

“Go ahead and call her.” Theo smiled as he unlocked the doors and got in, checking the gas gauge and a few other things. 

Allison smiled back at him, climbing into the car and pulling out her phone to call Lydia.

“Hey, I just got out of school. Good timing.” Lydia smiled. “How was your flight?” 

“A catastrophe.” Allison replied, instantly relaxing at the sound of Lydia’s voice. “Stiles and Theo came to get me. The airline sent my luggage to North Carolina.”

“How many people did you murder? Will you be on the news?” Lydia asked lightly. “Do you need a good lawyer? I know people.” 

Allison laughed in delight. “God, I’m so glad to hear your voice. There was no murdering, I won’t be on the news, I won’t need a lawyer. There was just a lot of frustration and almost-crying.”

“You wouldn’t have had to deal with that if you had stayed here with me and Scott.” Lydia said, all false-sweetness. “I’m guessing it was dealt with?” 

“Mm, yes, it was dealt with.” Allison sighed. “Lydia, please don’t be angry with me for this. Please.”

“I’m not angry.” Lydia mumbled. “I just think it wouldn’t have been so bad if you had stayed. But we’ve already had this discussion, Allison. You feel how you feel, I feel how I feel, and nothing makes a difference anyway, since you’re there and I’m here.” 

Allison didn’t say anything for a moment, looking down at her feet. “What’s done is done.” She agreed softly, sighing. 

“I miss you.” Lydia murmured. “There are a couple of girls here, you know Betty and Veronica? They remind me of us, except I think they’re together. And Cheryl is the kind of person I would have been if I didn’t have any of you to help me through sophomore year.” 

Allison smiled softly, tipping her head to lean it against the window of the car. “I miss you, too.” She murmured softly, letting out a sniffle. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Is it weird? Seeing mini-us? Mini you?” She let out a quiet laugh.

Lydia laughed. “More than you’d know.” She admitted. “I’m thinking about convincing John to have Cheryl removed from the Blossom house. My mother can take her in. Her parents are so cruel to her.” 

Allison’s face fell. “How so? Is John allowed to do that? Riverdale isn’t his jurisdiction, is the sheriff there going to have a problem?”

“They’re working together on the Jason Blossom case, and Keller seems like he’s too scared to step on any toes. John wouldn’t care about that.” Lydia murmured. “It relates to the case, in a way, since Cheryl was the last known person to see her brother alive.” 

Theo had been listening to the conversation as he drove toward the apartment complex. He wasn’t so sure his opinion was welcome, but he spoke anyway. “If Stiles’ dad thinks that Cheryl’s in actual danger, is Beacon Hills really far enough away? She could come here.” 

Allison glanced at Theo and smiled at him. “Are you offering to let her stay at your place, too?” She asked curiously. “That’s so sweet of you.”

“Well, we’re kind of the Island of Misfit Toys.” Theo grinned back at Allison, feeling strangely pleased with himself for a reference that he knew Stiles would have been proud of. “She might as well come here.” 

Allison giggled. “Hey, Lyddy?” She murmured. “Maybe you could run the suggestion by her? If she’s in trouble, then maybe Theo’s right, maybe getting farther away from Riverdale and Beacon Hills would actually be better for her. And if not here, then maybe we could find somewhere else for her.”

“I’ll check in with everyone and let you know.” Lydia agreed. “I know you and Stiles will keep her safe.” The way she deliberately left Theo out was intentional in her remark. 

“Of course.” Allison murmured, glancing over at Theo. Without thinking, she reached out and touched his hand lightly.

Theo gave Allison a grateful smile. “It’s okay.” He said quietly. “She’s loyal to Scott. I managed to get Scott and Stiles to stop talking for awhile, but Lydia never swayed.” 

Allison nodded in understanding, gently squeezing his hand. To Lydia, she said, “So we’ve sort of got a plan for how to keep Cheryl safe, then. Her parents are rich, right? What’ll it take to keep them off her trail once the sheriff removes her from that house?”

“Fake ID, fake names, fake trail.” Lydia smiled faintly. “I guess I picked up more from Stiles than I thought I had. They ignore her, anyway. When they aren’t insulting her.” 

“Poor girl.” Allison sighed, shaking her head. “We’ll take care of her.”

“I’ll make a few phone calls. If you get a weird text or a call from a strange number, it’s me.” Lydia murmured. “I’m becoming a little paranoid.” 

“More influence from Stiles.” Allison laughed softly. “Alright. I’ll keep an eye out.”

“And I’ll handle everything out here.” Lydia felt like there was a lot that she wanted to keep unspoken, so she hung up without a goodbye. 

“She’s really pissy about not having everything go her way, isn’t she?” Theo commented, but the words weren’t malicious. “I think we’re all like that, though.” 

Allison huffed out a small laugh, putting her phone away. “I agree.” She murmured. “Part of it, though… in regards to me, anyway… is that she lost me. I was gone. She wasn’t going to get me back. And then I actually came back, Stiles mentioned coming out here, and I jumped at the chance, and suddenly she was losing me again.” She fell silent. “I feel like shit about it, but I couldn’t - I couldn’t force myself to stay in Beacon Hills. Not without going out of my mind.”

“Then she’ll have to forgive you for it.” Theo reasoned. “Because the only other choice is to stay mad, and it won’t change your decision.” 

Allison turned her head to look at him, and then let out another small huff of laughter. “You aren’t wrong. I made it all the way out here, despite the utter shit I had to deal with.”

“I feel like if you weren’t meant to be here, you wouldn’t be.” Theo smiled over at her at a red light. “We’re almost there, it’s just a few more blocks. Stiles is probably already home and gloating.” 

Allison snorted. “He would be. He loves it when he gets one up on other people. It’s… actually kind of cute.”

“You’d better not be trying to steal my boyfriend.” Theo’s tone was teasing, but once the words were out, he realized he meant them. 

Allison looked startled, her eyes going wide. “What? No - I wouldn’t - I swear, I wouldn’t, I would never dream of doing something that awful, I promise you.”

“Really?” Theo glanced at Allison. “Because I’m a chimera. I can tell that you like each other, at least on some level. I know that doesn’t have to mean anything, but do you know how long it took Lydia to break up with Stiles after he left, so she could be with Scott? He was gone for three hours, and I got the feeling that she would have done it sooner, but she had to wait for him to land in Chicago.” 

Allison blinked. “... Okay, I like him, yes.” She admitted. “But - I don’t steal other people’s significant others. I’m not the type of person that does that. At least Lydia waited until Stiles was on the ground again, and didn’t leave him a voicemail?”

“Didn’t you date Scott for awhile?” Theo asked carefully, parking in the lot beside their building. 

Allison slipped out of the passenger side seat quietly, then cleared her throat and said, “Yeah. Off and on.”

“And it doesn’t bother you even a little that your best friend has him now?” Theo closed his car door and walked around the car, toward her. 

Allison shook her head, looking up, and then tilting her head back further to look at him as he approached her. “Scott and I had broken up long before I’d even died. We’d moved on. There was a time when Scott and I were dating - or, we were in high school and on a break - when he made out with Lydia, and I was utterly furious about it, but I’m an adult now. I’ve been through too much with these people to hold a petty grudge about who’s dating who.”

“Maybe you’re better than me, then.” Theo said quietly. “Because I would follow Stiles to hell and back and if anyone got in our way, I’d probably kill them.” 

Allison shook her head, looking down again. “I don’t know that you would. I don’t believe that you would. I believe that you’d absolutely protect Stiles from anything and everything, and if someone’s threatening him, I absolutely believe that you’d kill that person, but… I don’t know that I’d believe you’d murder anyone for coming between you.” She lifted her eyes slowly to gaze at him. “I don’t see that in you.”

Theo hadn’t done more than blink in response when Stiles practically materialized beside him. He nearly jumped backward, startled. “Damn it! I regret teaching you how to do that.” 

Stiles laughed. “I saw you pull into the lot and thought I’d just save myself time. The elevator scares me. I know I'm overdoing it, so I’ll take it easy on this from now on. Hi, Allison.” 

Allison smiled back at him, looking mildly amused. “Hi, Stiles.” She greeted softly, and then carefully squeezed herself past Theo, walking toward the building. “Did you find my stuff?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Stiles said lightly, nudging Theo. “You had the My Little Pony suitcase full of crack, right? And a Hello Kitty duffel bag?” 

Allison didn’t look amused, turning to smack lightly at his stomach. “No, goofy ass, I had the Avengers duffel bag with the violent weapons inside and - shit.” She blinked, and then her face fell. “I can’t believe I forgot. When Lyds and I went shopping, I never even stopped to think about getting a new crossbow.”

“You’re the weirdest girl I’ve ever met.” Stiles teased. “Come on, the lasagna is warming up in the oven.” 

Allison sulked all the way into the building. “Fine. I demand we find a sports shop the minute we get the chance, I am not okay with not having weapons.”

Theo gazed at her for a moment, and then looked at Stiles, pursing his lips a little and shrugging. “I can stand by that.”

Stiles shrugged back at Theo. “You two are on your own. I am not good with a weapon. Not unless it’s a baseball bat.” 

“You aren’t any fun whatsoever.” Allison chastised, climbing up the stairs.

Theo watched her go, his eyes moving down to briefly touch on her backside for a moment before he blinked and looked at Stiles. “He’s plenty of fun. I think he’s plenty of fun. You’re plenty of fun.” He reassured his boyfriend.

“Yeah?” Stiles licked his lips. “Is that why you were checking out Allison’s ass?” He snorted and shook his head as his phone rang. “Go on, it’s Scott.” He answered, pressing the button for the elevator, since he knew he would be on the phone for awhile, anyway. “Hey, Scotty.” 

“Stiles, hi, hey. Um. I need your timeline with the explanation thing for everything that’s happened over the last few years, I know you have one.” Scott blurted.

“I’m not doing anything and I think Theo and Allison want to bang.” Stiles remarked, snorting. “It’s a long story. I don’t feel like telling it. I could just bring myself over there. Another long story I don’t feel like telling. Need me there?” 

Scott blinked. “How would you even get here?” He asked. “I mean, not that I don't want you here. I do. I really do.” He sighed. “I miss you, man, I miss you a lot.”

“I miss you, too.” Stiles murmured. He laughed. “God, we’re a little pathetic. It’s been four days since I saw you. I shouldn’t be feeling like I lost an arm.” 

Scott huffed out a wet sounding laugh. “Then how come it feels like that anyway?” He asked. 

“Because we haven’t spent a day apart since you moved back from Riverdale?” Stiles guessed. “Except for those three months when you forgot me. Just do something for me, close your eyes and picture energy surrounding you in a bright red light. Like an alpha red. I need something to focus on.” 

Scott furrowed his brows, but nodded despite his confusion. “Yeah, okay.” He agreed and shut his eyes. He imagined that the bright, warm crimson of his wolf’s eyes had spread out until it surrounded his entire body, exhaling slowly and steadily.

“I’m hanging up, but stay focused.” Stiles instructed. He pocketed his phone and closed his eyes, disappearing just as the elevator doors opened for him in the lobby.


	7. Chapter 7

Allison looked around in confusion when she reached the seventh floor. “Um… two things. Which apartment is yours, and where in the hell did Stiles go?” She asked Theo. 

Theo laughed. “He probably disappeared again. Scott called him, and you know how they are. I would be mad, but it gives me a chance to get to know you a little more. And eat dinner. I’m starving.” 

Allison laughed. “So am I. I hope this lasagna of yours is good.” She murmured. She looked around again. 

“Well, Stiles made it.” Theo gave her a curious look as he unlocked the apartment door. “Want to see your bedroom?” 

Allison’s expression brightened, and she nodded excitedly. “Yes, please.” She blurted. “I still can't believe he went and got all of that stuff for me. I figured if he'd wanted to get the room set up, he'd just grab plain sheets and maybe some pillows and leave the rest of it to me. I was so blown away when Lydia showed me the picture.”

“Yeah, well, that’s why I like him. One reason, at least.” Theo walked through the living room and opened Allison’s bedroom door. “He either cares or he doesn’t, there’s no halfway with him.” 

Allison’s hand swept out to clutch Theo’s arm as she slowly stepped into the bedroom, astounded. “Yeah.” She agreed softly, her eyes soft. She took a deep breath, shaking her head. “This is so much. Too much. I don't - I don't even know how to repay him for this. This is beautiful.”

“Well, from what you just said on the phone a little bit ago, you’re probably going to play babysitter to a teenager in hiding while Stiles and I attend classes.” Theo smiled. “So you’ll have enough to deal with.” He stopped, looking back toward the living room. “Actually, where are we going to put her?” 

Allison shrugged. “She can share with me, but maybe we'd better wait and ask Stiles just to be clear. He might have another idea.”

“Okay.” Theo nodded and went into the kitchen, turning the oven off and taking the lasagna out. He looked around for Allison, feeling a little conflicted by his earlier behavior and how he had gotten caught checking the brunette out. But Stiles hadn’t seemed like he minded at all. 

“Hey, Theo?” Allison called from the hallway. “Can I borrow a shirt to sleep in later? I'm not planning on going anywhere after dinner, and I may have forgotten to bring pajamas with me. Which I'll fix, I swear. Tomorrow.” She poked her head into the kitchen and pouted at him, looking hopeful. “Please?”

Theo looked up at her, then smiled. “You can borrow one of my shirts if you change in front of me.” He smirked. “Otherwise, no.” 

Allison’s mouth fell open in surprise. “Oh, really now?” She blurted, laughing. “You think I won't do it, don't you?”

“I think I win, either way.” Theo countered. “So no matter what you say, I don’t care. I don’t like getting involved with anything or anyone that I have no control over.” 

Allison stepped closer to him, narrowing her eyes. She tapped his chest. “You do not control me, sweetie. If we get involved…” The glint in her eyes told how much she'd want that. “If we get involved, you do not control me. Period.”

“I guess you have a decision to make.” Theo spoke quietly. “Dinner or sex?” 

Allison could feel her chest heaving with each breath she took, her dark eyes locked on Theo’s bright blue ones. She licked her lips, her fingers trailing over Theo’s chest. “God, I never thought that'd be a difficult decision to make.” She mumbled before she crossed her arms in front of her and tugged her shirt off. 

Theo took his own shirt off and tossed it to her, laughing before he started taking off his jeans and underwear. “On your way up the stairs, I was staring at you and Stiles laughed at me for it. I don’t think he cares what we do.” 

Allison bit her lower lip, grinning crookedly. “Hmm. If just walking up the stairs in jeans had you staring at me, maybe next time I should wear a skirt.” She draped Theo’s shirt around her neck and popped the button of her jeans, sliding them down her hips. They hit the floor and she stepped out of them delicately before she moved closer to Theo.

“If you wear a skirt, neither one of us is going anywhere.” Theo put his arms around Allison and kissed her. 

Allison moaned and kissed him back, looping her arms around his neck. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

Theo picked Allison up easily and carried her into the bedroom he was sharing with Stiles. He laid her down on the mattress and leaned over her for another kiss. 

Allison shifted a little, using the arms she’d wrapped around Theo to lift herself up so that she could unfasten her bra. Kissing him back eagerly, she drew one leg up and around his waist.

Theo yanked Allison’s underwear down from her hips and tossed it behind him. “Just for the record, this wasn’t actually what I meant when I said I wanted to get to know you. But I’m not complaining, I think this works nicely.” 

Allison laughed, slipping her hand between them and wrapping her hand around him before spreading her thighs and guiding him inside of her. She moaned. “There’s - god - there’s no better way to get to know someone than this,” she breathed, lifting her head to kiss him again.

Theo nodded, thrusting all the way inside Allison as he grabbed her knee, wrapping her other leg around his waist. He reached under the pillows for the handcuffs he had stashed there earlier in the day, when his plan had been to surprise Stiles after dinner. He kissed Allison as he grabbed her wrists, pressing them into the cuffs and clicking them closed. He smirked down at her. “It looks like you were wrong about me controlling you. Sweetie.” 

Allison’s mouth fell open as she stared back at him, peering up at the cuffs before looking back at him. “I have no idea why I found that so incredibly hot.” She admitted, blinking rapidly. “But if you’re going to cuff me to the bed and -” she squeezed her muscles around him. “- Control me? You’d better fuck me until my brain rattles in my head and I can’t remember my own name.”

“For every time I make you come...” Theo kissed Allison’s shoulder, then slid his hands up her sides, his thumbs brushing over her nipples. “You have to tell me three things about you. I hope you can count that high.” He teased. 

Allison arched her back, pushing into his touch and moaning. The moan became a giggle as he continued speaking. “I hope I can, too,” she agreed, grinning up at him.

Theo smiled back and lowered his mouth to one of Allison’s breasts, his hips rolling against hers. 

Allison’s eyes fluttered, and she moaned, thrusting up against him.

“I should have paid more attention to you, before.” Theo murmured. “Maybe I could have done something. I might not have. I didn’t really care about anybody but Stiles for a long time.” 

Allison smiled crookedly. “Stiles deserved to have someone care about just him.” She said softly, tilting her head a little to tip back against her pillow. “I had Scott for a while. And when I didn’t, I had Lydia. I always had her.” She let out a stuttered breath as she moved against him. “Some things are just meant to happen.”

“Like this?” Theo asked, one eyebrow raised. “Are you enjoying yourself, hmm? Maybe we should have waited for Stiles to get back before we got started?” 

Allison scoffed. “Did you think we would be able to hold off until Stiles got back?” She asked him. She whimpered then, straining a little and lifting her head, eager to kiss him. “If you can’t tell that I’m enjoying myself, you aren’t paying much attention.”

“You already forgot what I told you, didn’t you? Because I’ve reduced your brain to goo, probably.” Theo laughed. “I don’t care if something doesn’t benefit me. Would I really ask if you were having fun with my dick if I thought the answer was no?” 

Allison huffed out a small laugh, smiling crookedly at him. “I guess you’re affecting me more than I thought. Don’t try to hold a conversation with me during sex,” she teased him. “Because clearly you’re right, and my brain is mush.” She tightened her legs around him and did her best to tug him down, pressing her lips to his.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short chapter that really just works as a lead-in to the next one, because...
> 
> **Potential trigger warning:** This chapter contains dubious consent and violence during sex.

Lydia stared at the drawings she was clutching, feeling like she needed them like a lifeline. While she was taking a flight with Cheryl, from O’Hare in Chicago to Dulles in Washington, D.C., she had written her name, drawing unbroken lines from her name to Stiles’ and Scott’s. A line formed by a row of lowercase Xs connected Scott to Allison, and a dashed line connected Allison to Stiles. Another unbroken line connected Stiles and Theo, and a dashed line linked Theo to Allison. Another line of Xs stretched from Scott’s name to Kira’s, and the whole thing looked like a very complicated rhombus by the time she was finished. But she had kept staring at it and redrawing it for the rest of the flight, and she found herself adding a dotted line from her name to Theo’s, knowing that they had the least in common of anyone else in the pack and she had the most reason to not trust him - but that was all the more reason for her to knock on the apartment door and hope that Allison was available to keep Cheryl company. Lydia had plans of her own. 

Theo opened the apartment door, blinking in surprise when he saw Lydia on the other side, as well as a girl who could at the very least be her cousin, if not a younger sister. He stiffened a little, staring at Lydia warily. “Uh. Hi.”

“Hi. This is Cheryl.” Lydia gestured to the girl standing just behind her. “You said she could come here. I wasn’t going to let her fly all the way across the country by herself.” She remarked. “Are you going to let us in?” 

“Right.” Theo muttered, stepping to the side to let them enter.

Cheryl eyed Theo in interest, squinting between him and Lydia curiously.

Allison looked up, brushing her hair back, and her eyes widened with delight when she saw Lydia. She jumped up, hurrying toward the other girl. “Hi!” She blurted, throwing her arms around Lydia in a hug.

“Hi.” Lydia repeated, smiling. “I’m not staying for very long, I just want to help Cheryl get settled in and then I have to go back to Beacon Hills. And Riverdale.” 

Allison smiled back. “That’s okay.” She murmured, and looked up at the other girl. “Theo and I were going to run it by Stiles, in case he had a different idea, but I don’t mind sharing my room with you. If you don’t mind, that is.”

Cheryl lifted her chin, eyeing Allison thoughtfully. “I’ll come to a decision soon. I’d like to hear all options first.”

Lydia smiled proudly, then turned toward Theo again, pushing the door shut once she and Cheryl were in the apartment. “Could I speak with you alone?” 

Theo frowned, looking toward Allison for a moment before looking at Lydia. “Uh, yeah, I guess.” He said quietly.

Lydia looked around the tiny apartment, then went down the hall and took a guess, opening one of the doors to find a bedroom without pink sheets, so she could assume that it wasn’t Allison’s. 

Theo followed her silently, wary as she led him directly into the bedroom that he shared with Stiles. He cleared his throat and closed the door behind them, leaving it open a small crack. “What did you want to, uh, talk to me about?”

Lydia shook her head, smiling as she pushed the door shut the rest of the way and locked it. She eyed Theo for a moment, then leaned in to kiss him. 

Theo froze in place, his eyes going wide. He peered down at her, not moving an inch until he needed to inhale. He pulled back a little and took a deep breath, staring at her. “You’re kissing me.” He said dumbly.

“I _was_ kissing you.” Lydia corrected. “Now I’m not. I know you don’t like me, Theo. I'm not asking you to. In fact, I want the opposite.” 

Theo blinked. “You do?” He blurted. “Wait, I don’t - I don’t hate you. I thought you hated me, after what I did to you.”

“I might, a little.” Lydia admitted. “But I think I have good enough reason. I'm not asking to be your friend. I feel like being a little self-destructive. I think you can help me with that.” 

Theo gazed at her, gulping. “I… aren’t you dating Scott?” He asked weakly.

“Yes, and he also thinks I should continue dating Stiles, if I want. Which I do, as long as Stiles is interested in that.” Lydia stared at Theo. “Ordinarily, someone interested in having sex with me wouldn’t waste time with talking. I’m guessing you’re not interested, then.” 

“I’m interested!” Theo blurted, eyes going wide as saucers. “Very interested! I just - if we do this, I don’t want to - well, I don’t want you to stab me in the middle of it.”

“I’m not really interested in bloodplay.” Lydia said bluntly. She shook her head and stepped out of her shoes, reaching for the hem of her shirt. 

Theo followed suit, without taking his eyes off of her save for the few moments when his shirt came over his head. He stepped toward her, reaching out and letting his hands hover above hers without touching her. “May I?” He asked her.

“Any other time, I would appreciate the consideration.” Lydia remarked. “But I don’t know how much clearer I can make this. Theo, fuck me. You’re the only person I could think of who wouldn’t be gentle with me, like they’re trying to be considerate. I don’t want considerate. Damn it.” She exhaled softly. “Maybe you’re not the right person for this, after all.” 

Theo stiffened at her words, and then scowled. “You don’t want considerate? Fine.” He shot her a grin. “I can do less considerate.” He dropped his arm to her waist and yanked her toward him, pressing his mouth firmly against hers. Lifting her into his arms, he pinned her against the wall, shoving her shirt up and over her chest.

Lydia kissed back eagerly, slipping her arms out of her shirt and pulling it off over her head. She pulled her skirt up around her waist. 

Theo groaned at just even the hint of her heat, pressing against her eagerly and yanking at her underwear. He dragged her hand down to his jeans, pressing her palm firmly against the bulge.

Lydia pressed the heel of her hand down against Theo’s erection, curling her fingers around it and sliding her hand up and down a few times before she moved her hand to where his skin met his waistband. She had developed an idea on the cab ride over, thinking that he wouldn’t be the least bit gentle or hesitant, since he certainly hadn’t been either of those things when he hit her and knocked her unconscious, then dragged her through the woods. The reality was somewhat unsettling, but not entirely a disappointment. Still, she couldn’t help wondering if she was going to have to continue to be cruel to get him to be cruel in return. Her lips quirked and she shoved her fingers past the elastic band of his underwear as she bit down roughly on his shoulder. 

A loud snarl exploded past Theo’s lips, and he flung her away from him, tossing her carelessly onto the bed before he was on her. Wanting to give as good as he got, he firmly pressed his teeth into the skin of her throat, all but pinning her to the mattress as he yanked his pants open and roughly thrust inside of her.

Lydia shuddered, her hips jerking up against his as she came. She blinked up at Theo, smiling slowly. 

Theo glared down at her, lifting his hand up to place his palm around her neck. He moved his lips to her shoulder and once more dug his teeth in. Grabbing one of her legs, he pushed her knee toward her chest and began pounding inside of her once more, uncaring when the headboard began to thump heavily against the wall.

Lydia wrapped her hand around Theo’s wrist, but instead of tugging his hand away, she pushed it tighter against her throat, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. 

“You have a death wish?” Theo muttered, slowly tightening his hand as he thrust, grunting into her shoulder. “You want me to hurt you, baby?”

“Yes!” Lydia blurted. “You’re the only one who would, I know that Scott and Stiles wouldn’t even give it a thought.” 

Theo huffed out a dark laugh. “Never would’ve thought you’d be for this.” He told her. “But obviously I’m not doing this right if you can still talk properly.” His other hand came up to join the first, his eyes darkening as he fucked her harder.

Lydia opened her eyes to stare up at Theo, her lips parted as her mind went blank and her vision began to dim. She still felt like everything in her life had gotten twisted up somehow and didn’t make sense anymore, but it stopped being something for her to concern herself with while Theo was able to make it go away. 

Theo watched her carefully. “Tell me to stop,” he said suddenly, frowning. “Lydia, tell me to stop. Smack my arm, something.”

Lydia’s gaze focused on Theo and she tightened her grip on his wrist, pushing his hand down against her throat again. 

“You really do have a death wish.” Theo muttered, staring at her in disbelief. “Uh-uh.” He stopped dead in the middle of everything, pulling his hands away from her. “If we’re doing this, you’re giving me a safe word. I’m not going to be the one to explain to Scott McCall that I strangled his girlfriend.”

“I won’t use it.” Lydia rasped, her expression defiant. “It’s a waste of time to come up with one. You’re cautious enough now that you don’t actually want me dead, you figure out when I’m too close to my heart stopping. I know you can hear it.” 

“You’re completely insane.” Theo snapped at her, putting a hand over her mouth. “I get being reckless, it’s not like I ever play it safe, but this, for you, this is fucking insane. You’re insane.”

Lydia considered biting Theo’s fingers, but she decided against it, pushing his hand away from her mouth and getting up from the bed to get dressed. She avoided his gaze as she ran her fingers through her hair and stepped back into her shoes, leaving the room and keeping her gaze on the front door as she made her way over to it and walked out to the hallway. She didn’t feel like talking to Cheryl or Allison at the moment, she just wanted to wander around until her temper subsided. She wasn’t even angry at Theo, she was glad he had stopped her. Her rage was for herself and her erratic behavior. She pressed the button for the elevator and brought a hand up to touch her bruised throat. 

“Goddammit.” A man’s voice muttered from inside the elevator, and bright blue eyes looked up to focus on the doors as they opened.

Lydia stared in disbelief as she came face to face with her ex. “Jackson?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theo and Lydia consent to having sex, but Lydia encourages Theo to behave violently. The dubious consent, at that point, is on his side of things. This will also be addressed in the next chapter. If you're choosing to skip this chapter, all you need to know is that Lydia and Jackson bumped into each other in the elevator.


	9. Chapter 9

Jackson stared back at her, his lips parted. “Lydia.” He breathed out softly. “What are you… what are you doing here?”

“I don’t know.” Lydia blurted. She shook her head, stepping into the elevator. “I was bringing a friend out here, and that’s a little complicated, but...” She didn’t feel like explaining the past week or the bruises on her throat. “What are you doing here?” 

Jackson cleared his throat awkwardly. “I, uh… I've got a cousin that lives out here. Well,” he made a face and brought to his hand to make air quotes. “‘Cousin.’ I was visiting.” He fidgeted for a moment, stepping to the side to make room for her. “Scoping apartments, actually.”

Lydia turned to face the elevator doors, pressing her lips together and glancing over at him. She wanted to say it was good to see him, but she didn’t want to talk, knowing that more interaction would mean he was looking at her and the red handprints she was sure were on her throat. She started playing with her hair nervously, hoping that it covered the bruises as she pulled it forward. Still, she felt like she was being rude to remain silent. “Stiles lives here. And Allison. I have a feeling that’s going to impact your decision.”

Jackson hesitated. “Uh… well, I don't mind Allison being here.” He said quietly, glancing at her. “I didn't know that Stilinski moved here.” He scowled a little, but shook his head. He went quiet again, hating that things felt so awkward between them - considering that they'd once felt so deeply about each other that her love had saved his life. He wondered where they might have ended up if his parents hadn't uprooted him to London after everything was all said and done. He'd barely gotten a chance to even say goodbye to Lydia. After a moment, he said hesitantly, “How are you?”

Lydia bit her lip, glancing at Jackson again. “Would you be shocked if I said I had no idea how to even begin to answer such a simple question?” 

Jackson blinked, and then let out a small, startled laugh. “If it was anyone else, no. But… It's you. So… Yeah, I would be pretty shocked.” He admitted.

“I got into MIT.” Lydia blurted, turning sideways to look at Jackson as she spoke. “And I was dating Stiles for awhile. I know you hate him. But I don’t. And that’s not the problem I’ve been having. I think I’m too scared to go. I think I’m too scared for a lot of things, lately. Riverdale’s got a bunch of sophomores dealing with an almost exact repeat of what we all went through, and I thought I could fix it and maybe try to get close to them by pretending I was still in high school, but the reality is that...” She pressed her lips together, embarrassed. “I’m not ready for anything more. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. Everything is... I have knowledge of vocabulary from six different languages and there isn’t a word that fits how I’m feeling.” 

“Willingly trapped?” Jackson suggested, turning to look at her in concern. He studied her face carefully. “Am I sort of in the ballpark? You want to proceed, but at the same time you don't?” 

Lydia felt tears welling in her eyes and she nodded, smiling sadly. “I was Valedictorian.” She dabbed at the corners of her eyes, laughing in embarrassment. “How am I supposed to go from being the girl with all of the answers and knowing exactly who I was to just some face in the crowd who is every bit as lost as anyone else? I’ve been asking myself and a few other people how to get myself back on track, but maybe I’m just not meant to.” 

“You’re not.” Jackson told her bluntly, his eyes soft as he finally turned toward her. “No one is, Lydia. You think anyone else who was ever Valedictorian ever had it as easy as that,” he snapped his fingers, “when they’ve left home, left high school and gone to college? It’s an entirely different world. It’s supposed to be. They coddle us in high school, I think. It never really preps us to actually… be adults, you know? And maybe that’s on purpose, maybe they do that specifically so that we get a face full of ‘what the hell’ the minute we set foot onto a college campus. It… leaves us scrambling, and the ones that can get their feet under them and say, ‘Okay, I’ve got all of this coming at me - this is what I need to do to get it under control’ are the ones that have it easier.” He looked at her, remembering everything he’d ever asked of this girl and everything that she’d willingly given to him, and he hesitantly reached up to touch her shoulder. “You’ve always been the person I knew that had everything under control, that knew everything, and knew what she was doing with herself and her future. Maybe this is meant to happen, just to help you?”

Lydia’s lips trembled as she thought about the way she had impulsively broken up with Stiles, yelled at Scott and guided Theo to hurt her. “I’ve become toxic. You probably shouldn’t be near me. I’ve been awful. I have moments of clarity and realize I’m doing everything wrong lately, but then that goes away and I...” She closed her eyes and shook her head. 

Jackson smiled crookedly at her. “You do recall that I was toxic to a horrific degree in high school, right? Most notably when we were together. I understand it, Lydia. Better than you might think.” He hesitated, and then reached out to hug her gently. “You're allowed to break down.” He told her. “You're allowed to lose your shit and have a meltdown. It's okay.”

Lydia was still for a second, then she wrapped her arms around Jackson and sighed. “Of all of the people to run into...” She remarked, smiling softly. “I hope you do decide to live here. Stiles is different than you remember. He went through something similar to what you did. But that’s not my story to tell you.” 

Jackson smiled crookedly at her again, shutting his eyes and burying his face in her hair. “I'll consider it, definitely.” He murmured, rubbing her arm. 

Lydia pulled back slightly to look up at Jackson. “Is there anyone in your life right now?” She asked quietly. 

“There was someone, when I was in London.” Jackson murmured. “Not anymore. Moving back to the States pretty much ended it.” He studied her warily. “Why?”

Lydia breathed in slowly, eyeing the man who had been her first serious boyfriend. “If you’re not busy, I’d like to spend the day with you. But I’m involved with... someone. And I don’t know what might happen, if you say yes. I want to make sure everything is clear.” 

Jackson let out a surprised laugh. “Lydia, I'd love to. And… I mean, nothing is going to happen, right? If you're with someone. I'm not that guy anymore. I don't pull that shit with people anymore.” He nodded at her. “You're safe with me.”

Lydia was tempted to say that Jackson might want to reconsider, that she was someone to be feared. But she had sore thigh muscles and a bruised throat that made her realize sex wasn’t something she wanted for awhile. It hadn’t been Theo’s fault, she had goaded him into the behavior that she expected him to exhibit. Instead of speaking, she nodded slightly, not wanting to draw attention to the bruises. She got her phone out of her purse and sent Scott a text. ‘I’m assuming you two will be by sometime today? I ran into someone and I’m spending the day with him.’ If Scott asked for more details, she would give them, but she didn’t feel like she owed him anything. 

‘We’ll be by today, yeah. Who'd you run into? Anyone we know?’ Scott replied, tacking a smiley face to the end of his message. 

‘Jackson.’ Lydia sent the reply, then glanced up at Jackson again. “What do you want to do? Are you hungry?” 

“Yeah.” Jackson murmured, eyeing her curiously. Whatever it was she'd said, her phone didn't go off again. “See any places you wanted to try or did you come straight here?”

Lydia smiled slowly. “It’s Scott. My boyfriend is Scott.” She remarked. “Who I started seeing the same day I broke up with Stiles. And they’re both okay with this. In fact, Scott thinks that if I want to be with both of them, that’s fine, too. I’m not the only person who is different, these days. It’s just that _my_ different is proving to be more destructive.” Feeling bold, she tilted her head back a little and gestured to her neck. “No, Scott didn’t do this. Neither did Stiles. I know you’ll see them and want to kill them for it. I know you. Or at least, I used to.” 

“You still know me.” Jackson growled, his eyes locked on her throat. “Who was it, and what gave them the balls to do that to you?”

Lydia stepped out of the elevator in the lobby, turning toward him and ignoring the people giving them curious looks. “Theo Raeken. Who you may not remember? But no balls were involved.” She shook her head, laughing softly at the horrible joke. “I coerced him.” 

Jackson looked stunned. “You made him do this?” He repeated. “Lyds, why would you… you're that sort of destructive?” He murmured, looking worried. “Did he stop or did you?”

“He did.” Lydia admitted. “I just want something to make sense.” 

Jackson sighed. “Well, what makes sense right now is getting some food. So let's do that, yeah?”

Lydia nodded and walked out of the lobby, looking around for a moment before she saw a diner sign a block away. She turned toward Jackson. “Are you all right with diner food?” 

Jackson nodded. “Yeah, diner food is fine.” He murmured. He followed her gaze, and then gestured with his hand, offering it to her. “Come on.”

Lydia took Jackson’s hand in hers as they started walking toward the diner. “So you’re planning to move away from Beacon Hills and I didn’t even know you were there.” She murmured. “What else are you doing?” 

Jackson sighed. “Not sure yet, honestly. I'm just hoping… I don't know what I'm hoping. I just want things to be different for awhile.”

“Well, we have that in common.” Lydia muttered. “I deferred for a year. I won’t start at MIT until next fall.” 

“That's a good thing.” Jackson told her. “It'll give you a chance to figure out what you want before you actually go there.”

“For now, I’m just focused on helping out with what’s going on in Riverdale.” Lydia laughed. “Even though I don’t think they actually need me.” 

Jackson smiled faintly. “They'd be insane not to need you, Lydia.” He told her softly. 

“Well, that’s true.” Lydia smiled back. “But I'm not sure how I can be useful to them when I’m not even useful to myself.” 

“That's what you need to take the time to figure out, then.” He told her. “You're the smartest woman I know, Lydia. That hasn't changed. I know that. I know you can figure this out.”

Lydia gave Jackson a grateful smile, not saying anything more until they were sitting in a booth. She eyed him speculatively, then cleared her throat and sipped the glass of water the waitress had brought her. “You could help too, you know.” 

“Me?” Jackson laughed. “No one wants my help. Why would they?”

“I want your help.” Lydia said dryly. ‘You’ve already managed to help me more in one conversation than anyone else has been able to. Which probably says unfortunate things about my current and last relationship.” 

Jackson pressed his lips together. “I hate to say this, since it's McCall that happens to be your current relationship, but maybe you're expecting him to be able to do more than he's capable of?” He shrugged. “I don't know. I know nothing about the two of you together or how you operate.”

“I’m not so sure I do, either.” Lydia murmured. “It hasn’t even been a week yet.” 

“But you like him.” Jackson said. “You look kinda miserable that you're having issues of any kind with him. He still an oblivious idiot? What did he do to you?”

“Nothing.” Lydia put her hands down on the table and looked at her nails, then back up at Jackson. “He told me that if I want to start dating Stiles again, while dating him, that’s fine with him. I didn’t ask, he just decided to tell me. I lost my temper and yelled at him and then Stiles yelled at me. I don’t know if I’m going to pursue both of them at once. One guy at a time is hard enough to deal with.” She smiled. “I thought I had come to the decision to at least give it a try, but I’m not sure anymore if any decision I’m making is the right one.” 

“Then don't make any decisions.” Jackson told her, nodding. “If you don't think making one right now is the right thing to do, then definitely don't do it.”

“Hmm.” Lydia’s smile grew. “Two years ago, I wouldn’t have pegged you as the voice of reason in my life.” She teased. “Just plain pegged you, though...” 

Jackson rubbed at his face, shaking his head. “One time, Lydia,” he snorted. “One time.”

Lydia laughed, somehow feeling a lot better since the elevator doors had opened to bring her face to face with Jackson. She reached for a menu and started looking through it. “I want an omelette. With bacon.” 

Jackson looked surprised. “I didn't think you ate bacon.” He said. “Another thing that's changed, I guess. I thought you hated most meat.”

Lydia glanced over the top of her menu at Jackson and smirked. “I’ve spent too much time around Stiles.” She said finally. “I didn’t care for it. I guess that’s another thing that the pack changed about me, too. Malia was overly enthusiastic about eating meat and wearing shorts, and I sort of picked up on both of those habits. I still prefer not to, but I know that once in awhile won’t hurt me. Knowing I can sense death and somehow find people who have been brought back from it has put a few things in perspective... and knocked everything else off-kilter.” 

Jackson grimaced. “Uh, yeah.” He murmured, shaking his head. “Better you than me, to be honest. I think you're actually much more capable of handling it than I am.”

“Sometimes I miss when my biggest concern was what three outfits to wear to a party I was throwing.” Lydia sighed. “I’m enrolled in high school again.” She blurted, then laughed. “It made sense last weekend, but now I think I’ll have to drop out. I don’t have time or patience for high school anymore. I don’t know what I was thinking. Leaving it behind felt too daunting and being around you - it’s a little jarring. I expected ‘high school Jackson Whittemore,’ not...” She gestured to him. “But it’s not disappointing.” 

Jackson shrugged a shoulder, smiling faintly as he finally reached for his menu. “I grew up. Surprisingly enough. Why did enrolling in high school seem like a good idea?”

“A few reasons. I wasn’t ready to leave it behind and Riverdale is having the same problems we are, like I was saying before.” Lydia murmured. “I thought it would be easier to get close to people and reach them if they thought I was one of them, but that proved to be impossible. To lie about, at least. I came out here to drop one of them off, to stay with Stiles, Allison and Theo. She’s got a home life that’s somewhere between yours and Isaac’s.” 

Jackson winced. “Ouch. So, a clusterfuck of epic proportions. Is she abused?” He asked her, frowning. 

“I think it’s more neglect than abuse. At least, she’s not physically abused. That I know of.” Lydia murmured. “Her parents are werewolves. Her twin brother was. He was murdered last summer, and she’s the only human in her family. Her parents hate her for it. So I ensured that kidnapping charges wouldn't be brought against me for getting her somewhere safe, and away from them.” 

Jackson gaze hardened as Lydia spoke, and he nodded in approval when she finished. “And what exactly makes you think that you aren't useful?” He asked her. “Do you think she would've been strong enough to leave on her own, if you hadn't been there?”

“I hadn’t thought of it like that. I was just doing the sort of thing that Scott and Stiles would have done. If it had been me in that situation, I would have manipulated it to get everything I wanted, exactly how I wanted it.” Lydia murmured. “I’m more diabolical than most girls, though.” 

Jackson laughed, his eyes searching the menu intently. “Well, diabolical is a word for it, definitely.” He agreed. “I call it proactive. Of a sort.”

“I doubt you would have been so generous with the phrasing when we were dating.” Lydia pointed out. “Manipulative is a word that comes to mind. Bitch would be another.” 

“I grew up.” Jackson said again. “After the way we left things, I can't think of you in any way other than good.”

Lydia ordered her breakfast and a cup of coffee when the waitress came back, then rested her chin on her hand as she studied Jackson. 

Jackson looked up at her after he'd finally chosen crepes with a fruit compote and his own mug of coffee. He looked up at her a moment, and then gave her a small half grin. “What?”

“I’m just really glad that you’re here.” Lydia explained. “I should have known you were back in Beacon Hills, and I didn’t. And now, of all the places for us to meet up, it’s on the other side of the country. If I hadn’t come out here, I might not have ever seen you again.” 

Jackson looked down at the table. “Part of me kind of thought that you'd never want to see me again.” He admitted to her. “It's not like I told you I was leaving. Or coming back.”

“Well, that’s true. I had to find out from Danny.” Lydia shook her head. “But you mattered to me for a long time. If you don’t want to be around me, though? If you’re just doing this to be kind, then... I’d rather know now than have to find out later.” 

“I'm doing this because…” Jackson trailed off and sighed. “Because it's you. And I can't help myself around you. Even when you're with someone else.”

“Do I need to text Scott and tell him we’re on a twenty-four hour break?” Lydia asked, smiling softly. 

Jackson took a deep breath. “I want to say yes. So badly, you don't even know.” He shook his head. “But even a twenty-four hour break would make me feel like an incredible dickbag. Even to McCall.”

“The thing is, if he’s gotten it in his head that I’m some sort of... communal property for him and Stiles, then he should deal with me being with anyone else I choose to be with. Whether that’s you or Theo, or... or Allison.” Lydia blurted. “He doesn’t get to tell me who to be with, if I’m being encouraged to see other people.” 

Jackson sighed. “And if that isn't what it is?” He asked her. “If he really just meant for you to have a chance with Stilinski, and he bungled it because he's a moron that doesn't know his ass from his head? Maybe he doesn't get to tell you who to be with, but maybe he's just that kind-heartedly stupid. You could tell him to his face that you fucked Theo and me both, concurrently, to his face, and he'd probably give you wounded puppy dog eyes and ask you if that was what you really wanted. And then he'd back off and probably agree with you about it.”

Lydia groaned and put her head down on the table. “Maybe I should move to London.” 

Jackson let out a laugh. “Why, because I spent time there and came back making sense?”

“Yes.” Lydia murmured, sitting up again. “I guess part of the problem too, is that I don’t feel at all like myself, so I’m doing a lot of things I wouldn’t ordinarily do. Like the whole thing with Theo.” She stopped talking as the waitress brought their food over, and then she started cutting the omelette into pieces. “I don’t regret it, except that he wouldn’t listen and decided that now’s the perfect time for him to have a conscience.” 

Jackson cut into his crepes, stuffing a piece in his mouth before he said anything. Once he swallowed, he murmured, “Not that I'm defending him, but it's… hurting a woman, whether she wants it or not, is disturbing, Lyds. Especially if you've killed one before.”

“So you heard about that.” Lydia took a bite of her omelette, then a drink from her coffee cup. “I was just -” She blinked and looked up when a waitress dropped a tray of food, near the diner’s entrance. 

Stiles scowled at Lydia and walked over to the booth, glancing from Jackson to Lydia. “One of you should slide over.” 

Jackson peered up at him, and then slid over with a sigh. “Have a seat.”

“Thanks.” Stiles muttered, sitting down. He stared at Lydia, then shook his head at her. “Are you proud of yourself?” 

“For what?” Lydia asked calmly. 

“For what?” Stiles repeated, mimicking her. “My boyfriend is at home right now, feeling miserable because of what you made him do.” 

“To be technical, I didn’t make him do anything. I bit him and he decided to bite me in return, and things escalated from there. But he made his own decisions.” Lydia smiled. 

Stiles licked his lips. “You know, Erica yanked the carburetor out of my Jeep a few years ago. And then she hit me with it and tossed me in a dumpster while I was unconscious. And I was more willing to forgive her than I’m willing to forgive you. She didn’t think much about what she was doing, but you’re calculating. I saw your drawings, by the way. You planned this. You showed up, manipulated him into being the kind of person that he’s been trying to prove he’s not, and now you’re sitting here like it’s just an ordinary Wednesday!” 

“Well, for us, it is.” Lydia shrugged. 

Stiles’ fists clenched and he took a deep breath, glancing at Jackson again and trying to remind himself to stay calm. “How are you doing?” He glanced toward Lydia, but looked at Jackson once more. “See, if I keep trying to talk to her, I’m going to do something I’ll regret and she’ll probably get off on it. Nice bruises by the way, Lyds. Fucking awesome.” 

Jackson cleared his throat. “Um. Fine. I guess. I'm… moving out here, actually?”

“Oh yeah? To do what?” Stiles looked intrigued. “I’m taking a lot of classes on how to communicate with mass media and things like that. I think it’ll be good training for press conferences, if I have to handle something like that, ever.” 

Jackson fidgeted. “I don't really have plans yet. I just wanted to get the hell out of Beacon Hills.” He mumbled. 

“Yeah? Me too.” Stiles nodded. He lifted a hand to get the attention of the waitress. “Can I get some things to go?” He placed his order, then looked at Lydia again. “I think I understand what you were _trying_ to do, but you actually hurt Theo. To you, he’s a horrible person who manipulated everyone. Have you ever even tried to get to know him and find out why he did what he did? Or did you just assume that he’s a psycho that would’ve pretty much literally fucked you to death?” He glared at her. 

“I’m not talking to you while you’re being like this.” Lydia muttered, flinching when Stiles slammed his hand down on the table. 

“He was kidnapped when he was nine, you sadist!” Stiles snapped. “He grew up being taught not to use his emotions. I’m the only person he gave a shit about for a long time and I’ve been trying to get him to see that it’s okay to feel things. You treated him like a toy, Lydia. You made him feel like he’s nothing.” He grimaced. “What you’re going to do is pay for the food I ordered and bring it back to the apartment. You’re going to tell him you’re sorry and you’d damn well better mean it, because he’ll know if you don’t. After that, you’re going to get the fuck out of my apartment and stay gone until I’ve calmed down because Theo had the courtesy to say that he didn’t want to hurt you, nevermind kill you. Right now? I want to kill you.” He got up from the table and was gone as quickly as he had appeared. 

Jackson kept his gaze down toward the table, missing Stiles’ exit. He exhaled slowly. “I can see if I can put in an offer for an apartment now,” he offered. “And… you can stay with me for a little bit. If you'd like.”

Lydia nodded, too choked up to speak. She sipped her water and tried to calm down. “Thank you.” 

Jackson cleared his throat. “It’s nothing.” He told her softly. “But, um… do you want to let McCall know? I mean… if he wants to stay with you, I guess I can make room for him.”

Lydia took a deep breath and called Scott. “Hey.” She said softly. “Are you angry with me, too?” 

“I’m not Theo’s biggest fan.” Scott replied simply. “In fact, the only reason I tolerate his existence is because Stiles likes him and he seems to be making Stiles happy. I don’t know your motivations for what you did, but I’d rather talk to you about them and try to understand them instead of making snap decisions and alienating you away from me.” He paused to take a breath. “Where are you? Are you alright? Can I see you?”

“I’m at a diner, a block from the building. I’m here with Jackson. I’m fine. You can come by. I think I’ll need help carrying all of the food that Stiles ordered and demanded I pay for, anyway.” Lydia rubbed her eyes. 

“I’ll be there soon.” Scott murmured. 

“Okay.” Lydia opened her mouth to say ‘I love you,’ but it felt hollow. “See you soon.” 

Scott hesitated, like he wanted to say more as well, and then sighed softly. “Yeah.” He agreed instead, and hung up the phone.

Jackson stared at her and then suddenly grabbed her hand. “Does he make you happy?” He asked. “I mean - did he make you happy before this bullshit started? Do you think he still could? I heard - I heard everything he said, Lyds. What he said - the tone of his voice, he’s genuine about you, and you shouldn’t take that for granted. Don’t let that go.”

Lydia nodded, smiling hesitantly. “Somewhere along the line, I fell for him. And Stiles. Not that Stiles cares about that right now. I miss you and I want us to be friends.” 

Jackson squeezed her hand gently. “We will be. We are.” He smiled gently at her. “I miss you, too.”

“If he okays it, maybe we’ll even be more than that.” Lydia teased, feeling like she needed to re-center herself after Stiles’ outburst. She exhaled slowly, her gaze going to the door of the diner as she waited eagerly for Scott to show up. 

A few minutes later, Scott appeared at the door, squinting inside curiously before he stepped inside. He spotted Lydia instantly, and despite knowing that she was with Jackson, he still appeared startled when he saw the other man. “Whoa. Blast from the past, man.” He blurted, carefully taking a seat beside Lydia. He smiled gently at his girlfriend. 

Jackson slowly pulled his hands away from Lydia’s when he saw Scott, clearing his throat. “Uh, yeah, it’s been awhile.”

Lydia smiled softly at Jackson, then turned toward Scott. “He’s worried that he’ll look like a girlfriend-stealing cretin.” She told her boyfriend. “But he’s also offered to let me stay in an apartment with him, and you’re welcome there, too. Stiles told me I’m only welcome long enough to bring him the food he’s making me pay for, and then I have to apologize to Theo and get out.” 

Scott cringed. “Yeah, uh… he’s really mad.” He sighed and reached for her hand. “I’d like to stay with you if you want me there. Stiles won’t be happy about it, maybe, but he might also be cool with it if it keeps me away and out of any possible altercations with Theo.” He glanced back at Jackson. “See, if you had actually done something, then I might have thought you were a girlfriend-stealing cretin. But considering you offered to let Lyds stay with you in a town she’s never been in… I appreciate that. I really do.”

Jackson cleared his throat, blinking at Scott awkwardly. “Um. You’re… welcome?” He said hesitantly, and then looked at Lydia, before straightening a little. “And yeah, you’re welcome to stay with me, too. Once I… actually have an apartment, I mean.”

Lydia leaned against Scott, speaking softly as she started playing with his fingers. “I tried to convince Theo to sleep with me when I first got to the apartment because it made sense, in my head. It doesn’t now, but I’m... I guess I’m looking for...” She trailed off, not sure how to finish her sentence. 

Scott pressed his cheek against her hair, turning his head so that he could breathe in the scent. “Justification?” He asked softly. “You see Theo like I do. You… see him the way he was in Beacon Hills. You see the guy that manipulated me and made me distrust Stiles, and you see the guy that assaulted you. I know he’s changed, I know Stiles says he’s changed, but… I don’t know. Something in me still doesn’t trust him.”

Lydia was silent as she lifted Scott’s hand, pressing his palm against her neck and closing her eyes, wondering if he had to physically try to draw out pain or if he could somehow feel it without having to look for it. 

Scott paid no attention to it, though part of him seemed to sense her hurt and pain, extracting it without thinking or seeing the black tendrils that crawled up his arm.

Jackson watched silently, his eyes darting from Lydia to Scott and back again.

“It wasn’t about him.” Lydia said finally, picking at her omelette. “It was about me. I haven’t felt like myself, I’ve been feeling like I’m drowning and I saw him as being the person that would hold me under the waves. That’s why Stiles is angry. He’s right to be angry.” 

Scott only held onto her even more gently, if it was possible. “Maybe… Maybe he is.” He murmured. “It wasn’t… I don’t know. Theo is a bucket of worms that I don’t want to touch, but… maybe the reason you did this, the reason you aren’t feeling like yourself is because… you aren’t supposed to anymore.” He finally pulled back and peered down at her, his eyes gentle. “Maybe you’re going through a metamorphosis, and this needs to be the catalyst that changes you into… the evolution of who you’re going to become.”

Lydia smiled self-deprecatingly. “Who is that, exactly? A disgusting girl who has sex with people she doesn’t even like, expecting them to make sure she’s uncomfortable?” 

Scott tilted his head. “You’re not disgusting. You’re the furthest thing from disgusting. You’re… you’re falling apart inside, and you thought that Theo would either… make or break you. You used him as a means to an end, and… that’s all.” He reached out to cup her face, his thumb lightly stroking her cheek. “I’m not saying that it wasn’t a fucked up thing to do, but you were at a loss and spiraling. I’m not going to crucify you for something like that.”

“I think I started this when I found Boyd.” Lydia murmured. “Everything has been messed up since then, and I want it all to stop. I don’t know how.” She looked at Jackson. “I think I’m still taking you up on the offer to stay with you for awhile, but I might not be around much, while I’m... trying to sort through things.” 

Jackson nodded. “I understand that. Hey, the apartment will just be a place for you to lay your head down when you get sick of wandering. It’ll be a place for you to go back to. That’s all. If you decide to stay there, I mean.”

Scott gave Jackson a small, appreciative smile.

“Thank you.” Lydia said softly. She paid for the food that the waitress brought, just as she finished her omelette, then smiled fondly at Jackson and wrote her phone number down on a napkin, setting it down in front of him. “I’m going to be on the seventh floor of the building for the next twenty minutes or so, but I guess I’ll find you in the lobby after that? Unless you call me first.” 

Jackson accepted the napkin and nodded. “Yeah. If anything changes, I’ll definitely give you a call, but otherwise, I’ll be waiting in the lobby for you. Both of you.” He tacked on hastily, glancing at Scott.

Scott ducked his head in amusement, standing up and moving to the side to let Lydia escape the booth. “Yeah, I’ll be there, too.”

Lydia picked up the containers and walked outside, sighing as she looked up at the apartment building, across the street. 

Scott reached out and put his hand gently on the small of her back. “Come on.” He murmured. “In and out, okay? We’ll make it quick.”

“And you’re really okay?” Lydia looked doubtful. “Because I think Stiles really does hate me right now.” 

Scott sighed. “I don’t think Stiles could ever hate you. He’s angry with you - angrier than I’ve ever seen him be when it comes to you - but I don’t think he could bring himself to hate you, and I’ll keep believing that until I hear him say otherwise.” He licked his lips. “And I’m really okay. Feeling a little helpless that I can’t seem to do anything to help you, but… I’m not going to just abandon you. And I don’t want to abandon you.” He shrugged, looking uncertain and shy. “I love you.” He finished simply.

“I love you, too.” Lydia nodded. “I think you deserve much better than my behavior lately and if you were dating anyone else who was treating you like this, I’d have a lot to say to her. Believe me, I have a lot to hold myself accountable for. I’m fully acknowledging that.” 

Scott leaned toward her and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “And I’ll be there with you, every step of the way, until we figure out how to help you move forward from this. I may not know what to do to help, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to walk around with my thumb up my ass until it’s solved, you know?”

Lydia laughed at the visual of that. She turned her head to kiss Scott. “Maybe once we’ve done all we can to help everyone in Riverdale, we should just move to Boston. Or we could live here for awhile, and then do that.” 

Scott smiled softly at her, kissing her back softly. “I think that’s a brilliant idea. Boston could be really good for us.”

“You’re really not angry with me for having sex with Theo?” Lydia asked, turning toward Scott as they got closer to the apartment building. 

Scott looked a little guilty. “Honestly? I figured I deserved it, after the thing with Stiles. So… no, I’m not mad.”

“You don’t deserve me cheating, and that’s what this was, no matter how we try to sugarcoat it.” Lydia frowned. 

“I don’t want to sugarcoat it.” Scott murmured, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I think it’s definitely a thing that we need to discuss, but honestly, really, truly, I’m just relieved that you’re okay.” His head tilted. “To a degree of okay.”

“We’ll talk as soon as Stiles finishes screaming at me.” Lydia pressed the button on the elevator when they got to the lobby. 

Scott nodded, keeping his hand gently on Lydia’s back. When the elevator arrived, he shifted to the side a little for Lydia to enter it first. “Do you want me to carry one of those bags?” He asked, frowning. “God. I should’ve asked back at the restaurant.”

“Thank you, but it’s okay. They’re not that heavy and I think that as long as I’m holding them, I’m safe.” Lydia smiled and got into the elevator. 

Scott smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, okay. Fair enough.” He murmured, stepping on after her before he pressed the button that would take them to Stiles’ floor. When the elevator stopped, he stepped out, placing his hand on Lydia’s elbow. “Do you want me to go in there with you?” He asked quietly.

“No, I think I’ll be all right.” Lydia smiled at Scott. “I’m just going to hand over the food, say what I need to say, and get my suitcase. And Cheryl.” 

Scott smiled softly back at her and nodded. “Okay. I’ll wait out here in the hall for you, then.” 

Stiles opened the door when Lydia kicked the base of it, instead of knocking. He took the bags from her. “Go talk to Theo.” He demanded. “I think you know where to find him?” 

Lydia avoided the gazes of everyone as she went down the hall and knocked on the bedroom door. “Theo?” 

“What?” Theo’s voice echoed from the inside of the room.

Lydia thought about asking if she could go into the room, but she had already been rude and didn’t think a little more would be horrific. She walked in, closing the door behind her and looking at Theo. “I’m sorry.” 

Theo looked up at her, his eyes narrowed. “Do you even mean that? At all?” He asked her. “I know I deserved some of the shit you threw my way, but I’ve been trying to be different. I’ve been trying to be… better.”

“What I did wasn’t even about you.” Lydia said quietly. “You were...” She paused, trying to think of the right word, something that wouldn’t make the situation worse. “I’ve been feeling like I’m falling apart and I can’t even begin to figure out how to put myself back together, so what I wanted was just what I told you. I was looking for a way to be self-destructive.” 

Theo scoffed at her. “I was convenient.” He told her. “That’s the word you’re looking for. I’m fucked up, I’ve already shown you that I have no qualms with taking advantage of people, and bonus, I’ve got a dick and psychological issues. What you had me do wasn’t self-destruction. What you had me do was fucking abuse. If I’d gone any farther, if I’d fallen any deeper into it, I could’ve killed you. But I’m already a murderer, right, so what’s another murder to tack on to my already long list?”

“Abuse is without permission.” Lydia murmured. “I wanted you to do this. If anything, I was the abusive one. The worst part for me is that I liked it and I want to do it again. I wasn’t trying to hurt you or make you feel bad. And I do mean it when I say I’m sorry. What I’m going through, nobody else can fix and it’s not your job to even try.” 

Theo stood up. “You’re right, it’s not.” He told her firmly. “But you sort of failed at the… ‘hurting me, making me feel bad’ part. If you liked it so much, talk to your boyfriend about doing it. Don’t come to me. I jumped at the chance to have sex with you because I figured that it might mend some fences between us. I tried to treat you well, and you made me feel like shit on the bottom of your shoe for it. If you’re sorry, fine, you’re sorry. I don’t know if you’re expecting forgiveness from me or what, because honestly? I’m not really in the mood to give it right now.”

Lydia stared at Theo, then left the room to look for Stiles. “I apologized and he said it wasn’t enough, so I don’t know what more you honestly think I can do here.” 

Stiles was silent as he ate his food, staring at the tv. He pointed at the door, not so much as looking at Lydia. 

Allison was seated at the kitchen table. She glanced awkwardly at Stiles, and then stood up and moved to Lydia’s side. “Do you have a place to stay?” She asked softly.

“Well, I’m still technically living in Beacon Hills.” Lydia pointed out. “But Jackson is actually here and offered to let me stay with him. It might be until Cheryl is settled, it might be longer. I’m clearly not welcome here.” 

“Yeah, so get the fuck out.” Stiles called out. 

Allison tensed, pressing her lips together. She sighed, leaned in and hugged Lydia gently. “Text me when you’re settled. Let me know you’re okay.” She murmured. “I love you.”

Lydia frowned. “So that’s it, then?” She blurted. “ _Here’s your hat, Lydia. What’s your hurry?_ You won’t even walk to the lobby with me, you’re content to just stay here?” 

“Yes, Theo’s girlfriend would like to be supportive of him.” Stiles interjected. “If you aren’t out of this apartment in the next five seconds, I’m going to have you escorted out. One. Two.” 

Allison shut her eyes briefly, her cheeks stained red with guilt. “I’m sorry.” She said softly, looking down. “I’m so sorry.”

“See how easy that is, Lydia?” Stiles turned his head to glare at her. “You shouldn’t even still be here. Three.” 

Lydia glanced at Cheryl, opening her mouth to invite the younger girl to come along with her. 

“She stays!” Stiles yelled. “You brought her to us to keep her safe, and we are. Probably from you.” 

Lydia pressed her lips together and left the apartment, carrying her suitcase out into the hall. 

Allison watched her go and slowly sat back down, exhaling softly and putting her face in her hands.

Scott looked up at her as Lydia came into the hallway, and his face tightened. “What did he say to you?” He asked her, starting to move toward the door.

“Which one of them?” Lydia asked, exhausted. “I would like to just go get some sleep, I don’t care if that’s in this hallway or across the country. I’ve been awake since yesterday. I didn’t even sleep on the flights.” 

Scott nodded. “Okay.” He murmured. “Let’s go find Jackson, then. He should be here by now.” He pushed the button of the elevator to open the doors, and then reached for her luggage. “I’ll take it for you, if you want to use me for a pillow for a moment.”

Lydia nodded and held her suitcase out to Scott, putting her arms around his waist and resting her cheek on his shoulder. “You’re incredible.” She murmured sleepily. “If I can keep you with me and not screw this up, we could get married.” She laughed sadly. “But I’ll probably do something wrong.” 

“And so will I.” Scott murmured, holding her closely with his free arm. “We aren’t perfect. We’re both kinda messed up.” He tilted his head to look down at her with a smile. “That’s what I like about us. We’re real. And I think we’ve definitely got a lot to look forward to.”

“And we’re both going to be determined to make this work, aren’t we?” Lydia asked quietly, lifting her head to look at Scott. “Because both of us were raised by our moms after our dads divorced them and bailed, and we don’t want that for ourselves or...” She stopped herself short from talking about children. “Anything.” 

Scott set the luggage down and turned toward her properly, lifting a hand to cup her face. “We don’t want that for our future.” He said softly, and reached for her other hand, gently pressing a kiss to her palm. “We’re going to make this work, because that is who we are. That’s who our moms raised us to be. We’re strong, Lydia. We’ll make this work because we deserve the chance to prove that we can.”

“I’m going to try to be the kind of person you deserve.” Lydia walked out of the elevator when the doors opened. “It would be nice if I could make sense of myself.”

Scott tilted his head, following her silently for a moment. “It'll happen.” He told her. “But if you want, you can talk to me. Or if you don't want to talk to me, I know my mom would be willing to listen.”

“I would really rather not talk to your mom about the fact that I just had sex with my ex-boyfriend’s new boyfriend.” Lydia remarked, shaking her head at him. “Or what was or wasn’t going through my head beforehand.” 

Scott made a face. “Um… yeah, okay, that would definitely be awkward.” He sighed. “I don't want to sound like… I don't know. Maybe… maybe you could talk to someone, though? More, uh, professional?”

“Maybe.” Lydia agreed hesitantly. “It’s not the easiest thing, admitting that I have a problem I can’t solve on my own.” 

“Definitely not easy.” Scott agreed, his voice soft. “But you are admitting it. That’s the first step, right?” He faced her, his eyes gentle. “I’ve always known you were strong, and brave. This just… makes you stronger and braver, Lyds.”


End file.
